KEIR RADNEDGE in BERLIN: The UEFA Euro finals which Spain and England wrap up here in Berlin’s Olympiastadion has marked the 70th anniversary of the creation of the continental governing body in 1954.

Spain can win the crown for a record fourth time, currently they share the record of three titles with hosts Germany, followed by Italy and France with two victories each.

Germany had been awarded host rights by the UEFA executive committee on September 27, 2018, defeating a bid from Turkey by 12 votes to four with one abstention.

UEFA assessed the bid from the Deutscher Fußball-Bund as “comfortably [meeting] overall expectations when it comes to political aspects, social responsibility, sustainability and human rights.” The host nation repaid that vote of faith with a comparatively entertaining tournament, albeit the goals tally was significantly down compared with the pandemic-delayed Euro 2020: 142 to 114.

Berlin is staging its third major international football final. The venue, built for the 1936 Olympic Games, hosted the FIFA World Cup Final in 2006 and the UEFA Champions League Final in 2015.

The final will be the end of the road for the mascot, a bear named Albart – ‘homage’ to the iconic children’s teddy bear, claimed to have originated simultaneously in both Germany and the United States more than a century ago.

Fans choose its name i preference to Bärnardo, Bärnheart and Herzi von Bär.

THE FINAL STORY SO FAR

1960, France: Soviet Union 2-1 Yugoslavia (Paris) after extra time

1964, Spain: Spain 2, Soviet Union 1 (Madrid)

1968, Italy: Italy 1, Yugoslavia 1 (Rome) after extra time. Replay: Italy 2, Yugoslavia 0 (Rome)

1972, Belgium: West Germany 3, Soviet Union 0 (Brussels)

1976, Yugoslavia: Czechoslovakia 2, West Germany 2 (Belgrade). Czechoslovakia 5-3 on penalties, after extra time

1980, Italy: West Germany 2, Belgium 1 (Rome)

1984, France: France 2, Spain 0 (Paris)

1988, West Germany: Netherlands 2, Soviet Union 0 (Munich)

1992, Sweden: Denmark 2, Germany 0 (Gothenburg)

1996, England: Germany 2, Czech Republic 1 (Wembley). Golden goal in extra time

2000, Belgium/Netherlands: France 2, Italy 1 (Rotterdam). Golden goal in extra time

2004, Portugal: Greece 1, Portugal 0 (Lisbon)

2008, Austria/Switzerland: Spain 1, Germany 0 (Vienna)

2012, Poland/Ukraine: Spain 4, Italy 0 (Kyiv)

2016, France: Portugal 1, France 0 (Paris) after extra time

2020*: Italy 1, England 1 (Wembley). Italy 3-2 on penalties, after extra time

*The 2020 finals were postponed until 2021 by the COVID-19 pandemic. Matches were played in 11 cities in 11 countries across Europe

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