Euro and euro

The Union of European Football Associations’s European football championship, which has coincided with the continuing struggle to save the common European currency, has led to many jokes about the Euro and the euro. Some matches have taken on overtones stemming from the confrontation between European member-states — the one in which Germany whipped Greece 4-1, in particular, was preceded by German fans taunting Greek fans with “You wouldn’t be here but for Angela [Merkel, the German chancellor]”, and Greek fans responding with “Merkel thinks we’re at work”, and “we’ll never pay you back”. In an ill omen for Europe, the championship’s final four are Portugal, Italy, Germany and Spain — the oh-so-troublesome PIGS, except with Greece “taken over” by Germany.