http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/index.html

The forthcoming European Football Championships, to be held in Poland and the Ukraine from 8th June to 1st July, has already attracted a certain amount of political controversy, due to various European leaders threatening to boycott the matches in the Ukraine due to the treatment of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, and concerns about racism and homophobia in the country.

But football fans across Europe are nevertheless eagerly awaiting the spectacle of European football’s principal showpiece, and will be hoping that this year is their year. Poland kick off the tournament against Greece on the 8th and the final will take place in Kiev on 1st July. The odds-on favourites are current European and World Champions Spain, followed by World Cup runners-up Holland and the always-dangerous Germans. England, France and Italy, who all suffered disastrous campaigns at the World Cup in 2010, will be hoping to do better this time out, and there is always the possibility that an unfancied nation will surprise, as Greece did in 2004.

The official website includes all the necessary information any fan could want, including news, statistics, team and player information and an interactive fixture map.

Football can be a fabulous tool for uniting people of different nations and backgrounds and for overcoming differences. Hopefully this will once again be the case at Euro 2012.

Image source : Drabik Pany on Flickr