UEFA Euro 1996

The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 96, was the 10th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by European nations. It took place in England from 8 to 30 June 1996.

It was the first European Championship to feature 16 finalists, following UEFA's decision to expand the tournament from eight teams. Games were staged in eight cities and, although not all games were sold out, the tournament holds the European Championship's second-highest aggregate attendance (1,276,000) and average per game (41,158) for the 16-team format, surpassed only in 2012.

Germany won the tournament, beating the Czech Republic 2–1 in the final with a golden goal during extra time; this was the first major competition to be decided using this method. This was Germany's first major title won as a unified nation.

Bid process

At the time of the bid process, the event was still not confirmed to include sixteen teams. Instead, the bids were largely prepared as if hosting an eight-team tournament, meaning only four venues were due to be required. All candidates had to submit their plans by 10 December 1991.

Alan Shearer

Alan Shearer,OBE, DL (/ˈʃɪərər/; born 13 August 1970) is a retired English footballer. He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and for the England national team. He was widely regarded as one of the world's best strikers, being both Newcastle's and the Premier League's record goalscorer. Since retiring as a player in 2006, Shearer has worked as a television pundit for the BBC. In 2009, he briefly left his BBC role to become Newcastle United's manager in the last eight games of their 2008–09 season, in an unsuccessful attempt to save them from relegation.

A native of Newcastle upon Tyne, Shearer made his professional debut with English top-flight club Southampton in 1988, scoring a hat-trick in the process. During several years on the south coast, he became known for his classic style of play, strength and goalscoring ability; he soon received an international call-up along with a transfer to Blackburn Rovers in 1992.

The Lightning Seeds

The Lightning Seeds are an English alternative rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1989 by Ian Broudie (vocals, guitar, producer), formerly of the band Big in Japan.

Originally a studio-based solo project for Broudie, the Lightning Seeds expanded into a touring band following Jollification (1994). The group experienced commercial success throughout the 1990s and are well known for their single "Three Lions", a collaboration with David Baddiel and Frank Skinner which reached No. 1 in the UK in 1996 and 1998.

History

1989–1993: Formation and early years

In 1989, Ian Broudie began recording alone under the name "Lightning Seeds". Broudie had previously been a member of the band Care in the mid-1980s, but by 1989 was much better known as a producer for Liverpool-based chart acts Echo & the Bunnymen and many other independent labels at the time.

Working as a singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/producer, Broudie (in his guise as "The Lightning Seeds") achieved success with the psychedelic hit "Pure" from the album Cloudcuckooland, which reached the UK Top 20. "Pure" had some success in the United States Billboard Top 40 reaching No. 32. Both "Pure" and "All I Want" also reached the Modern Rock Tracks top 10.

Three Lions

"Three Lions" is a song released in 1996, the official anthem of the England football team for that year's European Championships, held in England. The music was written by Ian Broudie, with comedians David Baddiel and Frank Skinner - presenters of football-themed comedy show Fantasy Football League at the time - providing the lyrics.

The title comes from the emblem of the England football team, which is in turn derived from the Coat of Arms of England. This song is one of only three songs to top the British charts twice with different lyrics, the others being "Mambo No. 5" (in versions by Lou Bega and Bob the Builder) and "Do They Know It's Christmas?" (by Band Aid and Band Aid 30). It also regularly reappears in the UK singles chart around major football tournaments involving the England team.

In June 2014, this song came to attention again, as Morrisons was forced not to play this song anymore in its Scotland supermarkets, after receiving complaints from the Scottish football fans.

Paul Gascoigne

Paul John Gascoigne (born 27 May 1967) is a former England international footballer and football manager. He is also known by his nickname, Gazza. He earned 57 caps during his England career and has been described by the National Football Museum as "the most naturally gifted English midfielder of his generation".

Born and raised in Gateshead, the midfielder signed schoolboy terms with Newcastle United, before turning professional at the club in 1985. Three years later he was sold on to Tottenham Hotspur for a £2.2 million fee. He won the FA Cup with Spurs in 1991, before he was sold to Italian club Lazio for £5.5 million the following year. In July 1995, he was transferred to Rangers for £4.3 million, and helped the club to two league titles and two trophies. He returned to England in a £3.4 million move to Middlesbrough in March 1998. He made his debut in the Premier League in the 1998–99 season, having already featured in the 1998 Football League Cup Final. He switched to Everton in July 2000, and later had spells with Burnley, Gansu Tianma (China), and Boston United.