Euro 2016 official mascot unveiled for tournament in France

Posted Wednesday, November 19, 2014 by theguardian.com

· Organisers reveal an unnamed boy in a cape
· Gallic Rooster shunned after Péno and Footix
· Memory Lane: a look at football mascots of yore

The Euro 2016 mascot.

The Euro 2016 organisers have unveiled the official mascot for the tournament - an as yet unnamed boy in a cape.

Following in the footsteps of Slavek and Slavko, the representatives for Poland-Ukraine, who bore an uncanny resemblance to the Irish singers Jedward, the new mascot will be the second from France after Péno, the white cockerel who graced the 1984 competition.

Younger readers will be more familiar with Footix, another cockerel who was the official mascot of the 1998 World Cup, but the Gallic Rooster is, apparently, too passé for a third run-out.

The new mascot will remain nameless until 30 November despite making his first public appearance at France v Sweden at the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille on Tuesday. After his grand unveiling a public competition will be open until 26 November to decide on the name which will subsequently be announced at the end of the month. Naturally enough, that is also when the mascot's own social media accounts goes live.