UEFAdirect-74-Juin•E 7.0:Anglais 16.5.2008 9:56 Page 1 6.08 Including EURO is there for the taking 03 Referees prepare for EURO 2008 05 Ekaterinburg take the Futsal Cup 09 Coach educators in Cascais 10 No 58 – Février 2007 74 June 2008 UEFAdirect-74-Juin•E 7.0:Anglais 16.5.2008 9:56 Page 2 Message Photos: UEFA-pjwoods.ch of the president Preserving the human factor in football Do we need to use video footage to help referees make delicate decisions? At its meeting in Scotland in March, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) said no, and I happen to support this view entirely, not because I think that the rules are cast in stone and we should in no way change them, but because we must be careful not to lose sight of the bigger picture: football is a game before all else and we must do everything in our power to preserve its human qualities. Of course, in an ideal world everyone would acknowledge that, in spite of the vast sums at stake in today’s professional game, the impact of a win or a defeat cannot be measured in financial terms alone and that the best way to help the referees is to respect them. This means accepting their decisions, not trying to trick or influence them, accepting that they can make mistakes just like the players and recognising that in a match, a whole 90 minutes of play, there is plenty of time to IN THIS ISSUE ensure that a wrong decision by the referee has no decisive impact on the result. More than ever, EURO There is no denying that the omnipresence of cameras has made the referees’ is there for the taking 03 job much trickier, despite ever more thorough preparation. Likewise it would be Referees prepare utopian to expect everyone to serenely accept mistakes made by those who preside for EURO 2008 05 over the game. And ignoring a problem never makes it go away. This is why The “Fan Zones” in the host-city centres 06 I proposed to the IFAB that referees be given an extra pair of eyes – not technological, The European but human – to help them monitor what is happening in the penalty area. Championship turns 50 08 FIFA will soon carry out tests to assess the efficacy of this measure. The aim Ekaterinburg take home is to shift some of the pressure from the referees to the players, who, knowing that the Futsal Cup 09 they are being watched by an assistant behind the goals, may learn to behave more Coach educators in Cascais 10 “sensibly” in the goal areas. UEFA selects its new building 11 Surely this is worth a try! News from member associations 15 Michel Platini COVER UEFA President Co-hosts with Switzerland for EURO 2008, this will be Austria’s first time in a European Championship final round. Photo: Stollarz/Bongarts/Getty Images 02 uefadirect 6.08 UEFAdirect-74-Juin•E 7.0:Anglais 16.5.2008 9:56 Page 3 Final tournament in Austria and Switzerland More than ever, EURO is there for the taking Portugal’s Nuno Gomes scores against Greece in their friendly. Portugal were unable to avenge their EURO 2004 defeat but are nonetheless among the favourites for EURO 2008. Rys/Bongarts/Getty Images THE 13TH EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP – THE FINAL ROUND OF WHICH WILL BE they could put their disappointing CONTESTED FROM 7 TO 29 JUNE IN AUSTRIA AND SWITZERLAND – HAS BROUGHT results in the friendlies behind them. TOGETHER ALL THE PREVIOUS WINNERS (OR THEIR “HEIRS” IN THE CASE OF Köbi Kuhn, for whom this will be the RUSSIA AND THE CZECH REPUBLIC), WITH THE SOLE EXCEPTION OF DENMARK. third successive major tournament, WITH THE FOUR SEMI-FINALISTS OF THE LAST WORLD CUP ALSO STILL IN will certainly want to hand his coaching THE RUNNING, THE STANDARD IS SET TO BE EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH. THAT SAID, reins to Ottmar Hitzfeld on a high. UNLIKE THE WORLD CUP, THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP HAS BEEN KNOWN As for the Czech Republic, descendents TO THROW UP A SURPRISE WINNER OR TWO. THE GREEK TITLEHOLDERS WOULD of the Czechoslovakia that took the BE AMONG THE FIRST TO AGREE. HERE IS A QUICK RUNDOWN. title in 1976, they have maintained a lower profile. Having already failed Group A: Ronaldo’s consecration? centre forward. With neither Figo nor to get past the first round of the last Fourth in the 2006 World Cup, Pauleta – both of whom have stepped World Cup, they have now lost Pavel finalists in “their” EURO of 2004, and down from the international scene – Nedved (international retirement) and home of Cristiano Ronaldo, widely coach Luiz Felipe Scolari also lacks an Karel Poborsky (complete retirement). acknowledged as one of the best players intermediary on the pitch. Switzerland Captain Tomas Rosicky is injured and on the planet, Portugal would have to will make their mark, and not just Jan Koller, the best goalscorer in the be favourites in their group. And yet, because of the home crowd. Indeed, with history of the side, is stuck on a down- although solid in defence and creative in the return of goalscorer Frei and other ward spiral. Will a united front be midfield, they still lack that world-class talented players (Barnetta in particular), enough to get them through the first 03 UEFAdirect-74-Juin•E 7.0:Anglais 16.5.2008 9:56 Page 4 Italy and France Romania and met in the qualifiers. the Netherlands Massimo Oddo were also in helps team-mate the same group Gennaro Gattuso for the qualifiers. stop Nicolas Anelka. Adrian Mutu takes on two Dutch opponents. Meyer/AFP/Getty Images round? Turkey could well be asking them selves the same thing. Emotions will run high when they meet Switzer- land, two and a half years after their 2006 World Cup qualifier. Even with the Altintop brothers, Nihat and Bastürk, however, Turkey look Getty Images like the underdogs. ons on three occasions) are clear Group B: Who can halt Germany? favourites in Group B. And more than Third in that… By offering Jürgen Klinsmann’s “their” World Cup, position to his former assistant, Germany (who Joachim Löw, the association also have also been ensured continuity in the coaching. European champi- With a formidable attack – Löw has the pick of Podolski, Gomez and Kuranyi to partner Klose – Germany are on impressive form. Especially with Images Tuson/AFP/Getty Michael Ballack back at the top of Xavi Hernandez (8) and Spain got the better his game after a tough start of Andrea Pirlo’s Italy in their friendly. at Chelsea. The only question mark hangs over the goal- Group C: Inseparable keeper, with Lehmann having Unanimously seen as the most dropped to reserve keeper exciting constellation, this group pits at Arsenal. Croatia are deter- against one another teams that know mined to make their mark, their opponents inside out. France and under the guidance of coach Italy, finalists in the last World Cup, even and rocker Slaven Bilic (he met in the EURO qualifiers, as did the composed the team’s EURO two so-called outsiders, the Netherlands tune). The squad is youthful and Romania. After a few difficult and talented, although their months, Italy (European Champions in potential on the attack is 1968) have absorbed their World Cup reduced by the serious injury to victory. The new coach, Roberto Don- Eduardo. Led by old hand Leo Been- adoni, has rejuvenated the squad with hakker, Poland are making their EURO some promising new forwards and debut. A tight team complete with midfielders. He has fewer options when excellent keeper (Boruc) and powerful it comes to his more mature defence, striker (Smolarek), Poland’s chances but the line-up is nonetheless solid in of reaching the quarter-finals are good. front of the impeccable Buffon. France, The same cannot be said for Austria. twice European champions (in 1984 Absent from all major international and 2000), have coped well post- Michael Ballack: once again competitions since 1998 and complete Zidane. Ribery is forever improving and a masterstroke novices at this stage of the European Lyon forward Karim Benzema is one of for Germany. Championship, Austria are possibly this year’s most exciting young talents. the least convincing of the 16 finalists. His freshness could compensate for Could the incitement of the home Thierry Henry’s rather subdued season Baron/Bongarts/Getty Images Baron/Bongarts/Getty crowd and the experience with Barcelona. As a player, Marco van of keeper Manninger Basten helped the Netherlands to their and captain Ivanschitz only title (1988), with his goal in the be enough to beat final going down in football history. the odds? After the EURO he is stepping down 04 uefadirect 6.08 UEFAdirect-74-Juin•E 7.0:Anglais 16.5.2008 9:56 Page 5 The referees A watch with get into a 45-minute peak physical timer designed condition. especially for the EURO 2008 referees. UEFA-pjwoods.ch Hublot SA (to return to Ajax) and will be replaced by Bert Van Marwijk. Beforehand, he Preparation will be counting on a combination of seasoned players such as Van der Sar or Van Nistelrooy and rising stars such as Huntelaar, Sneijder and Babel behind the scenes to unsettle the two favourites. The 17th team at EURO 2008 Romania finished above the Netherlands in their qualifying campaign. With IN MID-APRIL, A EURO 2008 PREPARATORY WORKSHOP FOR REFEREES a solid line-up, they can rely on two AND ASSISTANT REFEREES TOOK PLACE IN REGENSDORF, ZURICH, WHICH WILL champions – Mutu up front and Chivu ALSO SERVE AS THE BASE FOR THE REFEREE TEAMS DURING EURO 2008.