Greece to meet Germany on the pitch this Friday

We here at FP love a good geopolitically portentous competition, which is why we’re pretty psyched to see Greece face off against Germany in a quarterfinal Euro 2012 match this Friday while "drachmail" continues to dominate the headlines: Captain Giorgos Karagounis, star of Greece’s legendary 2004 championship victors and scorer of Saturday’s winning goal, said ...

By , a former associate editor at Foreign Policy.

We here at FP love a good geopolitically portentous competition, which is why we're pretty psyched to see Greece face off against Germany in a quarterfinal Euro 2012 match this Friday while "drachmail" continues to dominate the headlines:

We here at FP love a good geopolitically portentous competition, which is why we’re pretty psyched to see Greece face off against Germany in a quarterfinal Euro 2012 match this Friday while "drachmail" continues to dominate the headlines:

Captain Giorgos Karagounis, star of Greece’s legendary 2004 championship victors and scorer of Saturday’s winning goal, said the country’s debt woes had encouraged the players to perform on the pitch. "When we left Greece, we all said, ‘Really give it everything,’" he told reporters. "We would have anyway, but the [hardship] made us fight more." Twitter was awash with jokes ahead of the piquant Friday showdown. "If Greece get Germany in the quarter-finals, will Angela Merkel try to tell the Greeks how many goals they have to concede?" wondered @Nndroid. 

Chancellor Angela Merkel has reportedly been the subject of what the Guardian calls "bellicose chants" at earlier games. Hopefully things won’t quite reach a Russia-Poland level of tension. 

Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating

Tag: Greece

More from Foreign Policy

Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.
Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America

The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.
Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense

If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War

Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.
An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests

And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.