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No England In The Euro 2008 Competition?

When the final listing for participants in the Euro 2008 Football Competition was announced, some fans could not believe what they were hearing. Where was England? Could it be that this long time supporter of the games would not be included this time? What had led to this decision, and what will it mean for the event as a whole? Here are some opinions on how the exclusion of England in the 2008 competition will impact the games.

One of the advantages of including England in years past is that the Brits have helped to push the sport of football into areas of the globe where it was previously unknown. The prestige of the English Premier League in and of itself has been one of the reasons why the UEFA has been able to expand the number of teams competing over the years. What type of support will the English fans give to the games this year if they are not involved? Perhaps on a broader scale, there is also the question of whether fans of English football will also choose to tune out the Euro 2008 competition this go round.

These are serious questions for all the people who plan on making some money from the games. Everyone from bookmakers to promotional marketers have a vested interest in high attendance and a lot of enthusiasm for the event. If the response is cooled by the lack of England's participation, this could impact profits, something that no one wants to happen. Loss of interest will mean loss of revenue too. A loss of revenue could mean a cutback for the event rather than continued expansion.

The fact of the matter is that no one can predict what impact the exclusion of England will have on the Euro 2008 Competition. There is every chance that the event is now strong enough to survive even the omission of such a prestigious league from the competition. Certainly there are fans that feel the exclusion is justified and that the real crime would have been to include England instead of another more deserving team. Only time will tell what, if any, impact this year's lineup will have on the future of the event.