Chris Stanley's Bazaar

There are a lot of things that the modern World Cup has killed off: embarrassing team songs ; clearly carved-up group games between sides ; any sense of sodding perspective about England's progress . But oddly, the existence of a tournament mascot goes from strength to strength. This is for two reasons. Firstly, it's so the organisers can sell a load of old tat to kids, and secondly, it's because it's a representative shorthand for the host nation, like that dull overlong bit they put on while you're voting in Eurovision . But there's no denying that the marketing of the mascot has become both slicker and in some ways, slightly sadder for it. I decided to run the rule over every football World Cup mascot since the concept began, having a ponder on the who, why and what the hell. At the end I'll have a bash at the one I think I like the most, so if you've got any thoughts, drop me a line in the comments below: 1966 - World Cup Willie The trailblazer by wh...

Euro 2020 begins today, and with the final at Wembley it seems somehow right that the tournament had to wait a year to create a 25 year gap with the last one. During last year's lockdown Euro '96 was repeated on ITV's streaming services to deflect us from the enforced emptiness, and although I made a start on watching it, it was nowhere near as good as I remember it being. But with excitement building, I thought it might be a nice idea to share a few memories of the summer of '96, partly before I go ga-ga and partly because the highlights of these events are so much different from the reality. Mine, I'd argue, was a perfectly normal Euro '96 experience, and if you take a read of these eleven nuggets of memory, you might find yourself nodding along. And, y'know, it's something to do at half-time. An Opening Day Win – In 1996 I lived in a very small world, one which encompassed about half a dozen streets between home, school, friends and grandparents. The...