When Football Came Home

Book excerpt: When Football Came Home is the story of the 1996 European Championship played out in England, the centerpiece of a momentous and unforgettable summer, Britain's second summer of love. In the space of a month the England team went from staggering out of a Hong Kong nightclub in disgrace to within a stud's width of reaching the final at Wembley. It was a summer that nobody really wanted to end--and certainly not as it did, losing against Germany on penalties. With a spirit of togetherness, Terry Venables and his players captured the hearts of the nation in a way not seen since Italia 90--but Euro 96 had an extra edge. Played on home soil, it took place at an extraordinary time in British history. New Labour were poised to end a generation of Tory rule and Cool Britannia was on the rise, as a comatose culture had been revived and Britpop provided the soundtrack to it all. That communal spirit of June 1996 is recaptured in these pages. It wasn't all euphoria--during that month there were riots on the streets of the UK, accusations of spying, race fights, and even a terrorist attack during the tournament. Every single aspect is brought back to life for the first time here--the fraught and often controversial build-up, the tournament in full, and the lasting impact it had on English soccer and the nation.