Throughout Euro 2016, Waking the Red will be keeping up to date with the tournament's biggest stories through a frequently appearing column.
When it was announced that the Euro 2016 field would be expanding from 16 to 24 teams there was a lot of outcry. The European Championship, after all, had always been contested between the continent's elite teams. Almost every match of the tournament, especially in the knockout rounds, was soccer super power against super power.
There was a reluctance to letting in eight more teams who might muddy that exclusive brand: those lesser soccer nations like Wales, Northern Ireland, Iceland, Scotland, Slovenia and the Netherlands (I have to get my digs in while I still can) who could potentially qualify.