Manager Gareth Southgate is making sure to put out all the necessary steps to make sure his England team does not disappoint again. His England team has one of the best generations of stars but has unfortunately not been able to win any major trophies. England’s only notable achievement under Southgate’s management was to make it to the final in the previous EURO.
Ahead of the upcoming EURO 2024 tournament in Germany, Southgate is making sure to not let anything get in the way, as the team faced an infamous incident back in the 2006 World Cup held in Germany.
What happened at 2006 World Cup in Germany?
The 2006 World Cup was a disastrous one for the England National Team. They had to exit the competition in the quarterfinals after a penalty shootout loss to Portugal. And it was one of the last chances for the Golden Generation at the time to win anything major.
But there was another controversial story from the 2006 World Cup, and that is the Baden-Baden issue. The England national team was assigned to stay at Baden-Baden, a resort town in Germany. Many of the players’ wives and girlfriends also stayed nearby.
Many of the famous WAGs at the time were David Beckham’s wife, Victoria Beckham, who recently linked up with Lionel Messi’s wife Antonela Rocuzzo. Among others were Ashley Cole’s wife at the time, Cheryl Tweedy, Coleen Rooney, who is Wayne Rooney’s wife, and many others. They stole the spotlight back home, overshadowing the men’s teams and becoming the talk of the newspapers.
The partners of the players’ infamously indulged in partying all day, and there is proof of huge spending sprees. The pictures of their actions created quite a ruckus back home in England, earning much backlash for the team’s reputation. It was also connected to the failure of the team to do anything substantial in the 2006 World Cup.
Gareth Southgate not keen on repeating history
England’s place of stay for the 2024 Euros in Germany is still undecided, but Gareth Southgate was asked if he would like a repeat of the Baden-Baden incident again. He said that he will not allow that, and they won’t be staying there at Baden-Baden. “Well, no. We need somewhere where we can be a little bit on our own.”
He made it clear that the team needs to concentrate fully on the tournament: “We need that nice contrast of relaxation and areas where we can work. I wasn’t involved in the 2006 World Cup in Germany so I don’t know how all that was — but we have a great environment with our players.”
He did say that families are still important for the players’ in order to keep them relaxed, “We want their families to enjoy the tournament too. We welcome them in at various times. It really changes the dynamic of the hotel, especially if kids come in, and those elements are important for the players.”
England are yet to see who their opponents will be in the group stage. After becoming the runners up in the previous edition, Southgate and his men will be looking to finally deliver a trophy.
