England fans warned of major blow ahead of tonight's Euro 2024 TV clash with Netherlands
England have a tough task on their hands tonight - and not just because of the technical flair of the Netherlands team, who the Three Lions will face in the Euro 2024 semi-final in Dortmund.
Their 'real' opponents may turn out to ITV, after fans warned of a very real statistic that makes grim reading when you consider this evening's game is being aired on the commercial channel.
Since 1996, there have been 31 matches broadcast solely on ITV - and England have won only nine of them. That is a startling contrast to games shown on the BBC over the same period - with 21 victories out of 29 fixtures.
The incredibly unlucky record of games shown by the Laura Woods-fronted broadcaster has come to be known as the "curse of ITV" - with some England fans calling for the BBC to be handed all games in the national interest.
The many ITV-broadcast defeats included the quarter-final at the Qatar World Cup in 2022 when the team were knocked out by France and worried fans have been posting their pessimistic predictions on X.
One wrote: "It will go to either extra-time or penalties and England will lose in either scenario. That's the 'Curse of ITV' for you!" Another said that Gareth Southgate's team were going to need to "overturn the curse of ITV for the semi" while a third fretted: "Oh god the curse of ITV beckons".
Others pointed out there were reasons to be cheerful, writing: "England beat the Netherlands at Euro 96 live on ITV. England beat Denmark in the Semi-Final of Euro 2020 (+1) on ITV. England beat Slovakia in their last game on ITV. THERE IS NO CURSE."
However, there is some good news if the bad run of luck is overturned and England win in Germany tonight. Because the final is broadcast by both the BBC and ITV, the bad luck statistic would not apply.
Though with Spain on the other side of the semi-finals, victory would be very far from assumed regardless of who's showing the game.
Build-up for tonight's England v the Netherlands match begins at 6pm on ITV1 live from the BVB Stadion Dortmund, with kick-off at 8pm. The game has caused Love Island to be pushed back an hour, with the action from the villa at 10pm instead of the usual 9pm.
