While nestled at Camp David over the weekend, the leaders of the Group of Eight nations paused from their bickering over austerity measures and other economic matters to take in a very important soccer game. The final match of the UEFA Champions League pitted Chelsea FC against Bayern Munich—two powerhouses of the European game.
Of course, considering the heads of government and state in attendance, that probably made watching the match a little awkward for the crowd packed inside the Laurel Cabin conference room. With the game clock running out with Chelsea and Munich tied at one, the global potentates steeled themselves for a shootout.
And when Chelsea won the UEFA championship in the 4-3 shootout, the looks on the faces of President Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President François Hollande and others could not have been more telling. Here’s what we surmise they were thinking:
Cameron: “Righty-O! This is the greatest victory for Britain since Lane Pryce beat the tar out of Pete Campbell!”
Obama: “Perhaps this humbling defeat will make Merkel less aggressive with the austerity measures.”
Merkel: “When I get home things are getting more austere than a Fassbinder film.”
European Commission President José Manuel Barroso: “She won’t kill the euro over this. She won’t kill the euro over this.”
Hollande: Un jeu entre l’Angleterre et l’Allemange. Le sigh. Ma première semaine comme président et moi doivent observer cette merde?