Lahm names booing of Cucurella 'silly' and 'exhausting'

Euro 2024 tournnament director Philipp Lahm has criticised the match-long booing of Spain player Marc Cucurella by German fans in the semi-finals as "silly" and "exhausting".

Cucurella was booed throughout Spain's semi-final against France after a handball by him in the quarter-final against Germany did not result in a penalty before Spain went on to win 2-1.

"It was amusing at first. I hope the player could laugh about it too, because it was simply a sign that the German pain was still deep," Lahm told Sunday paper Bild am Sonntag.

"At some point I thought the whistles were a bit silly. What should Cucurella have done against Germany? Go to the referee and say: 'I played with my hand?' I found the whistles throughout the game exhausting."

Cucurella earlier in the week told portal The Athletic he was "surprised" at first by the hostile reaction which he condemned.

"I did not care too much, but at the same time, it felt a bit sad that some people came to that game just to boo a single player. Some people wasted tickets that could have gone to fans who would have really enjoyed the match," he said.

Spain play England in the Euro 2024 final later on Sunday in Berlin.