UEFAdirect-73-Mai•E/7.0:anglais 17.4.2008 11:29 Page 1 5.08 Club competition finals on the horizon 03 EURO 2008 team workshop 07 Scoreboard project 10 2010 finals awarded to Madrid and Hamburg 12 No 58 – Février 2007 73 May 2008 UEFAdirect-73-Mai•E/7.0:anglais 17.4.2008 11:29 Page 2 Message Photos: UEFA-pjwoods.ch of the president An immeasurable loss Mathieu Sprengers passed away on 6 April, aged 69, after an illness that was as cruel as it was sudden. President of the Dutch Football Association since 1993, Mathieu Sprengers was elected to the UEFA Executive Committee at the UEFA Congress in London in 1996. In 2000, he took responsibility for UEFA’s finances as treasurer, an office that he held until 2007. In this capacity, he played a crucial role in UEFA’s solidarity policy, in particular by chairing the HatTrick Board, dealing with financial assistance to the national associations. Mathieu Sprengers was also one of the key figures of EURO 2000, co-hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands, and UEFA benefited enormously from the experience he acquired in this respect. IN THIS ISSUE A man of great integrity, faithful to his ideas Club competition finals but respectful of the opinion of the majority, Mathieu on the horizon 03 Sprengers was one of the pillars of the UEFA U17 final round Executive Committee, through both his pleasant in Turkey 06 nature and his forward-thinking approach. From his days of playing football in EURO 2008 team workshop 07 the streets as a boy, he kept the spirit of friendship as well as a constant desire to Scoreboard project develop grassroots football. at the halfway mark 10 “Jeu” will leave a big void in the football world – in his home country Executive Committee and on the international scene. However, it his family and friends who will feel his meets in Liechtenstein for the first time 12 sudden loss the most. On behalf of UEFA and myself, I express our deepest News from member sympathies to them. associations 17 COVER Michel Platini Along with three English clubs, UEFA President FC Barcelona qualified for the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, knocking out German side Schalke 04 in the quarter-finals. Giovani outmanoeuvres defender, Marcelo Bordon. Photo: Getty Images 02 uefadirect 5.08 UEFAdirect-73-Mai•E/7.0:anglais 17.4.2008 11:29 Page 3 All eyes on Manchester and Moscow while????????????????????????? waiting for EURO 2008 to start Michel Platini hands the UEFA Champions League trophy to the mayor of Moscow, Yuri Luzhkov, as Leonardo (left) and Umberto Gandini from AC Milan look on. UEFA-pjwoods.ch THE OPENING MATCH OF EURO 2008 KICKS OFF AT THE ST. JAKOB PARK fielded by Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United (i.e. just under STADIUM IN BASEL ON 7 JUNE. IN THE MEANTIME, EUROPEAN CLUB FOOTBALL WILL a quarter) were English, while the other BE IN THE SPOTLIGHT, WITH THE UEFA CUP FINAL COMING UP IN MANCHESTER 41 came from 22 different countries and four continents. ON 14 MAY AND THE UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL IN MOSCOW ON 21 MAY. This season’s UEFA Champions 2007, it was to be Liverpool’s day Fifteenth host nation League will have been marked by each time. Last season, however, the On 30 April, we will know which the domination of the English clubs, English teams did not manage to pre- two teams will be walking out onto the the four clubs involved in the vent AC Milan from going all the brand-new pitch at the Luzhniki stadium group stage all having qualified for way and winning the competition. in Moscow on 21 May, to be greeted the quarter-finals – an unprece- This time, the other team still in the by a crowd of 69,500. It will be the first dented feat in UEFA’s flagship club running for a place in the final is time in the more than 50 year history competition. And like last season, another Latin football heavyweight, of the European Champion Clubs’ Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester FC Barcelona. Cup/UEFA Champions League that the United have made it through to the As a result of the general liber- Russian capital has hosted a final. Until semi-finals where, for the third time alisation of the markets triggered by now, the Luzhniki stadium has been in four seasons, Liverpool and Chelsea the “Bosman ruling”, the English clubs’ the venue for just one UEFA club com- are competing against each other for success is not, however, down to only petition final, the 1999 UEFA Cup final a place in the final. In their two previous English footballers. In the quarter-finals, between Parma FC and Olympique semi-final encounters, in 2005 and for example, only 13 of the 54 players de Marseille. Russia is the 15th nation 03 UEFAdirect-73-Mai•E/7.0:anglais 17.4.2008 11:29 Page 4 The ball UEFA Cup designed by handover addidas in Manchester for the Moscow final. Getty Images UEFA-pjwood.ch to host a Champions Cup/League The official match ball for the Munich in 1996. Fellow quarter-finalists final, which has been to Italy seven final was also unveiled in Moscow in PSV Eindhoven also have their name times, to England, Germany and Spain April, 300 copies of which were then on the honours’ roll, having won the six times apiece, to France five times, distributed to the public and school- UEFA Cup in 1984. They were also one Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands children. The winners of the final can of the three teams in the last eight to four times, Greece and Scotland three use the ball for all their UEFA Cham - have started out the season in the UEFA times and Portugal, Serbia, Switzerland pions League matches next season. Champions League, the other two being and Turkey once. They will not, however, get to keep the Sporting and Rangers. trophy for the year, but will receive a Fringe activities are also Cup handover full-size replica (see page 13). planned in Manchester, notably a youth Moscow is already geared street football festival involving 600 up for the event. On 3 April, a delega- First for Manchester participants, which will end on the day tion from the reigning champions, A trophy handover ceremony of the final. AC Milan, travelled to Moscow to hand has also taken place in Manchester, the trophy back to the UEFA president, where a delegation from Fair play draw who then placed it in the safe keep ing the UEFA Cup titleholders, Manchester is also the venue of the mayor of Moscow, Yuri Luzhkov, Sevilla FC, were on hand to for the draw for the UEFA fair play until the day of the final. The trophy return the trophy to the competition, which will will do a tour of five Russian cities UEFA president, who then be made between the before returning to Moscow for an presented it to the Lord pre-match press confer- event that has become intrinsically Mayor of Manchester, Glynn Evans, to ences the day before linked with the final, the Champions look after until the final. the final. Three places Festival, which serves to publicly For Manchester, hosting the in the 2008/09 UEFA Cup are at stake. promote not only the final UEFA Cup final is a double first: on The association which finishes top of but also football’s the one hand, because it has never the fair play rankings is automatically values, such as hosted a UEFA Cup final before, hav- rewarded with one of the places, while respect. ing “only” ever hosted a UEFA Cham- the two others are allocated by means Luca Toni (9) pions League final – in 2003, when of the draw which involves all the other and Manuel AC Milan played Juventus; national associations which finish Tena grapple for possession in and on the other with an average of eight points or more a closely-fought hand, because it will from all the matches played by their tie between Bayern Munich be the first final national team and clubs between 1 May and Getafe, which the to take place 2007 and 30 April 2008. Only associa- German side at the 44,000- tions which have played a minimum only won on away goals, seater City of number of matches (this cut-off point is thanks to Manchester calculated by dividing the total number Toni’s goal in the last minute Sta dium. The of UEFA matches by the number of of extra time. 2003 UEFA national associations) are eligible. In mid- Champions March, eight associations were in League final was held at this position in the provisional rankings: Old Trafford. Norway, at the top of the table, fol- At the quarter- lowed by England, Sweden, Denmark, final stage in this season’s Germany, Finland, Spain and Estonia. UEFA Cup, seven national These UEFA Cup places are not allocated associations were still in the according to the domestic league running, Germany the only one tables, but on the basis of the domestic with two representatives fair play competitions. left, both previous winners The final rankings will be of the competition: Bayer published at the beginning of May Leverkusen in (see www.uefa.com). 1988 and Bayern Each match is assessed accord- ing to the following criteria: red and yellow cards, positive play, respect for the opponent and for the referee, Rose/Bongarts/Getty Images behaviour of officials and of the crowd.