When Football Came Home is the story of the 1996 European Championship played out in England, the centrepiece of a momentous and unforgettable summer, Britain’s second summer of love. In the space of a month the England team went from staggering out of a Hong Kong nightclub in disgrace to within a stud’s width of reaching the final at Wembley. It was a summer that nobody really wanted to end – and certainly not as it did, losing against Germany on penalties. With a spirit of togetherness, Terry Venables and his players captured the hearts of the nation in a way not seen since Italia 90 – but Euro 96 had an extra edge. Played on home soil, it took place at an extraordinary time in British history. New Labour were poised to end a generation of Tory rule and Cool Britannia was on the rise, as a comatose culture had been revived and Britpop provided the soundtrack to it all. That communal spirit of June 1996 is recaptured in these pages. It wasn’t all euphoria – during that month there were riots on the streets of the UK, accusations of spying, race rows and even a terrorist attack during the tournament. Every single aspect is brought back to life for the first time here – the fraught and often controversial build-up, the tournament in full and the lasting impact it had on English football and the nation.
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