Euro 2024: Mayor of Frankfurt shows off his keepy-up skills as he welcomes England fans

Mike Josef displayed controlled footwork in a video with the mayors of Cologne and Gelsenkirchen ahead of tournament
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

The Lord Mayor of Frankfurt showed off his keepy-up skills as he welcomed the England team and fans to his city for Euro 2024.

Mike Josef displayed controlled footwork in a video with the mayors of Cologne and Gelsenkirchen ahead of the tournament.

England are due to play Serbia at the Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen on Sunday 16 June, Denmark on the 20th at the Deutsche Bank Park, Frankfurt, and Slovenia on the 25th at the Rhein Energie Stadion, Cologne.

“We are looking forward to welcoming England and their fans to the beautiful city of Frankfurt,” said Mr Josef, dressed in a suit, as he kept up the ball.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, are all keen footballers, though, whether they could match Mr Josef’s skills is yet to be seen.

The Frankfurt civic chief added: “There will be a huge fan zone by the river with a giant floating screen where you can enjoy both the games and views of the beautiful city.”

He also stressed: “To make sure you feel at home we have a little drink we call Ebbelwoi (Apfulwein). It tastes a bit like cider but I think much better.”

The Mayor of Cologne, Henriette Reker, encouraged England and Scottish fans in the city to enjoy some of the cultural sites as well including the contemporary art museum.

Scotland face Germany in the opening match of the tournament in Munich on June 14.

While the Mayor of Gelsenkirchen Karin Welge, suggested fans should try a “currywurst”, sausage with curry sauce.

The official Euro 2024 travel advice from the Government states: “Beer can be stronger than in the UK, so drink responsibly, know your limits and respect local laws.

“You may not be let into the stadium if you drink too much.”

In the UK, the average strength of conventional beers and lagers is 4.4% ABV (alcohol by volume), according to the Drinkaware charity.

However, in Germany, the ABV content of beers is usually between 4.7% and 5.4% for most traditional brews, with some having an alcohol content of up to 16 per cent or even more.

The Foreign Office is also warning fans to check their passport will be valid for their trip and to get travel insurance.

Its guidance adds: “Only buy match tickets from official providers. Tickets will be electronic and you will need your mobile phone to validate them at entry. Make sure your phone is charged and take into account roaming charges in Germany – check with your phone provider before you travel.

“Match tickets bought through unofficial means may not be valid. If you sell tickets through unofficial means, you could be prosecuted.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in