Explainers

PETER CROUCH’S career has gone from strength to strength since retiring from football two years ago. His media work combined with money earned through football means celebritynetworth.com estimate Crouch to be worth a WHOPPING £25million.
Peter Crouch has kept himself busy since retiring from professional football
The 40-year-old 6-ft-7 former striker amassed an impressive 684 club appearances in a twenty year career as a professional.
He has also appeared at two World Cups (2006 and 2010) and at club level Crouch holds the record for the most headed goals in Premier League history, scoring 53 goals with his head.
In total Crouchy scored 108 goals in the Premier League, making him one of just 29 men in the Premier League hundred club.
Crouch spent more time at Stoke than any other club – racking up 225 appearances over 8 years
Who did Peter Crouch play for?

1998-2000 – Spurs (0 apps)
2000 – Dulwich Hamlet (loan, 6 apps)
2000 – IFK Hassleholm (loan, 8 apps)
2000-2001 – QPR (42 apps)
2001-2002 – Aston Villa (37 apps)
2003 – Norwich (loan, 15 apps)
2004-2005 – Southampton (27 apps)
2005-2008 – Liverpool (85 apps)
2008-2009 – Portsmouth (38 apps)
2009-2011 – Spurs (73 apps)
2011-2019 – Stoke (225 apps)
2019 – Burnley (6 apps)
2005-2010 – England (42 apps)

Peter Crouch has scored 22 goals in 42 games for England
Who does Peter Crouch work for now?

BBC – podcast host and TV show host for Peter Crouch Save Our Summer and Crouchy’s Year Late Euros
BT Sport – Pundit
Amazon Prime – Pundit

Peter Crouch has proved to be a hit among viewers and listeners after his media work since retiring
Has Peter Crouch ever won a trophy?
Peter Crouch’s most successful period came under Rafa Benitez at Liverpool.
Crouch was part of the Liverpool side that won the FA Cup in 2006 and Community Shield in the same year, and was also a losing finalist in the 2007 Champions League final.
Peter Crouch started the 2006 FA Cup final which saw Liverpool beat West Ham on penaltiesCredit: PA:Press Association

Crouch will return to TV screens again this summer as he hosts the show Crouchy’s Year Late Euros alongside Maya Jama and Alex Horne that will air alongside BBC’s live coverage of Euro 2020.
The trio team up again after appearing together last year on the BBC programme Peter Crouch: Save Our Summer.
The first show of this year’s edition airs on BBC One June 11 after the tournament opener between Turkey and Italy.
Peter Crouch, Maya Jama and Alex Horne return to our screens on June 11Credit: BBC More

WHISTLER Danny Makkelie has been selected as the referee for the opening clash of Euro 2020.The Dutchman will be in the middle for the first match at the Stadio Olimpico, which sees Roberto Mancini’s Italy take on Turkey.
Makkelie has been selected as a VAR assistant for the World CupCredit: AFP – Getty
Has he officiated at the Euros before?
A former police inspector, Makkelie will accept no messing about in the Rome clash.
He was first listed as a FIFA referee in 2011 and at 38 years old, still has plenty of seasons under his belt.
Makkelie was the whistler for the 2020 Europa League final between Sevilla and Inter Milan, but this will be his first major international tournament in the middle.
What else has he done so far?
Makkelie made his Eredivise debut in 2009 and has gone on to make over 180 appearances across nine seasons.
He took charge of five Champions League fixtures in 2019, including the quarter-final first leg when Barcelona beat AS Roma 4-1.
The Dutchman was blasted by the Italians’ boss Eusebio di Francesco for denying them a penalty in that game, but it proved irrelevant as Roma heroically won the second leg 3-0 to progress on away goals.
Makkelie has also been involved in the Europe League, officiating 11 matches from 2012 to 2017.

Has he used VAR before?
The Dutchman has been involved in two major controversies with the VAR system.
Makkelie became the first referee to send-off a player using the technology after he changed his yellow-card decision to a sending off against Willem II’s Anouar Kalu in a KNVB Cup game in 2016.
He was also involved in one of the most famous and controversial usages of VAR when he took charge of the Dutch Super Cup final between Feyenoord and Vitesse.
During that match, Feyenoord saw a goal disallowed and a penalty awarded to Vitesse instead after a VAR review showed Makkelie should have given the spot kick before the goal was scored. More

ITV will retain the services of Rangers legend Ally McCoist for their live coverage of Euro 2020 this summer. McCoist proved to be a big hit among ITV viewers for his commentary style during the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
McCoist was inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2007Credit: The Sun
The 58-year-old former striker is a Rangers hero, spending FIFTEEN years with the Glasgow giants between 1983 and 1998.
McCoist racked up 418 appearances for Rangers during his time at Ibrox, netting an impressive 251 goals during that period.
He also managed the Glasgow side for three years between 2011 and 2014, helping the club to successive promotions from the Scottish fourth and third divisions after the club was put into liquidation in 2012.
McCoist won 121 out of his 167 matches as manager of Rangers

Who is Ally McCoist?

Born – Bellshill, Scotland, 1962
1979-1981 – St. Johnstone (57 apps)
1981-1983 – Sunderland (56 apps)
1983-1998 – Rangers (418 apps)
1994 – Awarded MBE for services to football
1998-2001 – Kilmarnock (53 apps)
1996-2007 – Team Captain, A Question of Sport
2010 – Pundit for ESPN, ITV, BT Sport, Amazon Prime
2011-2014 – Manager, Rangers

McCoist also has 61 caps for Scotland, bagging nineteen goals for the Tartan Terriers between 1986 and 1998.

McCoist also spent four years as Rangers assistant manager between 2007 and 2011Credit: The Sun
McCoist will be part of ITV’s commentary team for Euro 2020, working alongside Sam Matterface, Clive Tyldesley, Joe Speight, Seb Hutchinsonand Tom Gayle, as well as co-commentators Lee Dixon and John Hartson.
The Scotsman is expected to be on co-commentary for Scotland’s games at this summer’s tournament.
Scotland line up in Group D alongside England, Croatia and the Czech Republic, with their opener against the Czech Republic scheduled for June 14 at Hampden Park.
Scotland’s first game live on ITV is the mouthwatering clash with the Auld enemy England at 8pm on June 18, with Ally McCoist likely to be part of the commentary team.
McCoist scored once for Scotland at a major tournament – at Euro 96 against SwitzerlandCredit: The Sun More

FORMER Premier League referee Peter Walton will be part of ITV’s pundit team at Euro 2020 to provide expert insight on all the major decisions during games. The 61-year-old refereed games in the Premier League between 2003-2012 as well as the 2008 FA Community Shield.
Peter Walton was assistant referee for the 1996 FA Cup finalCredit: Peter Tarry – The Sunday Times  
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The first game he refereed in the Premier League was a memorable one – a 4-3 Wolverhampton Wanderers win against Leicester in 2003.
Walton currently provides insight for BT Sport’s coverage of the Premier League and Champions League, but will join up with ITV for Euro 2020.
He was subject of a BT Sport gaff two years ago in the Champions League semi-final as instead of cutting to images of Spurs players after Lucas Moura’s dramatic winner against Ajax, BT cameras switched to a grinning Walton.

Euro 2020 gets underway on June 11 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome as Turkey take on Italy in Group A.
The sixtieth anniversary of the first Euros means this year the tournament is being held across the continent of Europe, rather than one host nation.

Eleven cities have been chosen to hold fixtures, with 25% of the stadiums set to be filled with supporters.
Dublin was originally scheduled to be a host city, but the Irish government could not assure UEFA that the Aviva Stadium could be 25% full.
Who are the eleven host cities for Euro 2020?

Amsterdam Arena – Amsterdam
Olympic Stadium – Baku
Arena Nationala – Bucharest
Puskas Arena – Budapest
Parken Stadium – Copenhagen
Hampden Park – Glasgow
Wembley Stadium- London
Allianz Arena – Munich
Stadio Olimpico – Rome
La Cartuja – Seville
Krestovksy Stadium – St. Petersburg

The first game Peter Walton will be on duty for is likely to be ITV’s first live game of the tournament – the Group B clash between Belgium take on Russia.
Twenty-four teams will contest Euro 2020 More

GARY LINEKER, Gabby Logan, Eilidh Barbour and Mark Chapman are set to present the BBC’s coverage of Euro 2020.Lineker & Co will host the Beeb’s coverage of this summer’s championship and will be joined by a host of pundits and ex-professionals from the three home nations who have qualified for the tournament.
The BBC have announced a star studded line-up to guide viewers through Euro 2020Credit: BBC
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Who are the BBC’s pundits for Euro 2020?

Alan Shearer
Rio Ferdinand
Alex Scott
Micah Richards
Ashley Williams
Mark Hughes
Shelley Kerr
James McFadden
Charlie Adam
Cesc Fabregas
Jurgen Klinsmann

Two of the Beeb’s pundits are in fact winners of the European Championships – Fabregas with Spain, and Klinsmann with Germany.
Another previous winner in Thierry Henry was scheduled to be part of the BBC’s team, but left after being an offered a role in the Belgium coaching set-up for the tournament.
Thierry Henry will no longer be a studio guest for the BBC
BBC regulars Alan Shearer and Alex Scott are likely to be in the studio for England games alongside Rio Ferdinand and Micah Richards, while Ashley Williams and Mark Hughes will provide insight for Wales’ fixtures.
James McFadden, Shelley Kerr and Charlie Adam will join either Lineker, Logan, Barbour or Chapman to cast their eyes over the Scotland games this summer.
Alex Scott has also recently been announced as the new host for Football Focus
Micah Richards has proved to be a hit among television viewers this season

Who are the BBC’s commentators for Euro 2020?

Guy Mowbray
Steve Wilson
Robyn Cowen
Steve Bower
Jonathan Pearce
Vicki Sparks
Rob McLean
Mark Scott

Who are the BBC’s co-commentators for Euro 2020?

Karen Carney
Dion Dublin
Robbie Savage
Jermaine Jenas
Martin Keown
Danny Murphy
James McFadden

Robbie Savage has been a main part of BT Sport’s Europa League coverage this season
Carney, Dublin, Jenas, Keown and Murphy are likely to co-commentate primarily on England games as well as other European nations, while Robbie Savage will cover Wales, and James McFadden Scotland games.

The Beeb will broadcast the opening game of Euro 2020 between Turkey and Italy at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on June 11, as well as England’s tournament opener against Croatia on June 13.
Wales and Scotland’s opening games will also be shown live on BBC, with Wales taking on Switzerland on June 12, and Scotland facing the Czech Republic on June 14.
The BBC will live broadcast seventeen group stage games from Euro 2020

Speaking on their coverage of Euro 2020, Director of BBC Sport Barbara Slater said:
“After patiently waiting, the first of this summer’s major sporting events is now on the horizon and the BBC is ready to deliver another memorable football tournament, making sure audiences are entertained from start to finish.
“Three of our home nations are all in action on the BBC during the opening weekend, along with an array of the finest European talent on display throughout the Championship.
“All coverage will be brought to viewers and listeners by an unrivalled line-up of the best presenters and experts who can offer that unique insight, analysis and entertainment.” More