Some Austria fans are so embarrassed by their side - ranked 85th in the world behind Haiti and the Cape Verde Islands - they are petitioning to have the joint host nation expelled from Euro 2008.

Michael Kriess, the son of a former Austria international, has collected thousands of signatures for his campaign, "Austria shows backbone - Initiative for an Austrian-free Euro (for football's sake)".

Even national manager Josef Hickersberger is a touch pessimistic. "Getting into the quarter-finals wouldn't be a sensation, it would be a world-sensation," he stated recently.

With this in mind, Orange set about thinking of previous sporting tournaments which host nations perhaps now regret laying on. Looking through down the years, we discovered tragedy, scandal, propaganda and monsoons.

Cast your eye over our selections and then click here to suggest alternatives and provide your thoughts.

By Chris Dempster