Germany lose to Serbia and this is a good thing. Spain lose to Switzerland, this also is a good thing. Or is it? You see, I quite like rooting for winners. I grew up watching Stephen Hendry pot his way to victory in practically every major tournament. I enjoyed watching Michael Schumacher destroy the competition for five years on the bounce, I find it astonishing that Valentino Rossi can dominate motorcycling so consistently. And yes, I like watching Brazil win the world cup.

I understand the logic behind supporting the weaker football teams; on the basis that we would avoid the defeated better ones later in the competition. But what kind of tournament would we have won by niftily avoiding the likes of footballing super powers; Brazil, Argentina, Italy, Spain, Holland, Germany or Portugal.. Sure, a second star perhaps but not one we can be genuinely proud of.

Now consider how interesting Euro 2008 was with no England. We still watched the games but simply rooted for different teams…personally I was very happy to enjoy a quality final between Germany and Spain. And should we not qualify for the final sixteen this year I for one will be hoping for a Brazil vs Argentina final – and I hope the last eight are the best in the world, not by some hapless chance or refereeing blunder, but just by being the best.

A win is a win, but a world champion is something else altogether

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