Well, the groups for Euro 2008 have been drawn and boy did it drop a doozey on everyone.

Before we go on, the teams seeding for EURO 2008 were determined by UEFA’s coefficient factor. Much like the BCS in college football and the FIFA rankings, the controversial coefficients leave many people perplexed. And when people are confused they scream “no fair!” and look to conspiracy theories to assuage any perceived injustice.

The way it is set up the host country (or in the case countries) Switzerland and Austria get a top seeding. Next in line, come the Euro 2004 winners from Greece.  This leaves 13 remaining teams. They were ranked as follows: Netherlands, Croatia, Italy, Czech Republic, Sweden, Romania, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Poland, France, Turkey, Russia.

How did the draw for the groups turn out?

Group A brought together in loving embrace Switzerland, Czech Republic, Portugal and Turkey.
Group B packaged off Austria, Croatia, Germany and Poland
Group C diabolically linked Italy, France, Netherlands and Romania
Group D has Greece, Sweden, Spain and Russia locked away in a room.

For starters, there are no weak groups in any Euro the saying goes. In this case, all these groups are tough – except for B. Austria is a weak link and this seemingly gives the other three teams a free pass.

Given what happened in 2004, it’s not out of the realm of implausibility to assert that any of the remaining 15 teams can realistically win Euro 2008. A break here, a dive there and a tough mental streak can leave any of these teams dancing for joy on top of the European hill.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t any favorites among the 15. There are but we’ll revisit that sometime down the road.
At this point, it’s too soon to attempt to predict anything with any measure of respectability so let that gambling game die right here and now. From here to June 2008, anything can happen that could put any prediction out of whack.

That being said, Group C has nevertheless been ordained the ‘Group of death.’ Apparently, the losers of this group will be put down by lethal injection.

Of course, we don’t mean this terrible metaphor to be literal. Rather, it is to drive home the point that, well, life is very hard and upsetting.

Poor Netherlands. They always seem to be in a tough, tight spot. Italy too in recent years has had to face stiff competition.

Given the bad blood between France and Italy spurred most often by an odd French entity known as coach Raymond Domenech, maybe the two Latin lovers can find a way to make things a little more amicable? I mean, many great French players played in Italy over the years right?

How about a friendly bet between the Big three? If Italy wins all of France must eat only Italian food for one day. If France wins, Italy must return the favour. If, for their part, the Netherlands win, both France and Italy can feed the Dutch for a day. If they lose, they must keep the beer taps running with fine Dutch beer.  Not sure what the Romanians are known for but if they win…if they win they should just be happy.

Reading various fan forums French fans seem to be far more perturbed than their main rivals.

Recall the coefficients mentioned earlier. Notice where France is? Towards the bottom. That’s why three powerhouses and a solid Romanian club ended up in one group. Had France had a higher coefficient they may have got their wish and averted Group C.

Regardless, this is the Euro. Teams will inevitably have to meet the big teams anyway. If anything, teams in Group C should see this as a positive challenge.

Should be fun. Stick around folks.