With the countdown ticking down ever faster to the opening match between Switzerland and Czech Republic in Basel on Saturday, UEFA EURO 2008™ organisers in host countries Austria and Switzerland say that everything is in place for what they hope will be the best EURO tournament ever.
Kick-off near
"The kick-off is near," said Euro 2008 SA COO Martin Kallen in Vienna on Sunday. "The first teams have arrived, and preparations are going smoothly. We are ready, and everything has been working according to plan. UEFA has have been working very closely together with Austria and Switzerland since 2002 to make sure that this will be a great event. We will see if that is the case on 29 June."
Tournament numbers
Sixteen national teams are competing for the European crown at eight venues between 7 and 29 June, with the 31 matches staged in Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Salzburg and Vienna (Austria), and Basel, Berne, Geneva and Zurich (Switzerland). Vienna's Ernst-Happel-Stadion hosts the UEFA EURO 2008™ final on Sunday 29 June (20:45CET).
Black-market tickets
Meanwhile, Kallen warned fans against buying EURO tickets on the black market. "All of the tickets have been sold - there is not a single ticket left, and there has not been for a while," he explained. "We are obviously trying to prevent tickets being sold, but any tickets sold at this point are black market tickets. I would recommend that no-one sells tickets on the black market, as there will be sanctions."
Catering for the fans
A major challenge, Kallen said, would be to cater for the millions of visitors coming to Austria and Switzerland, especially in the host cities. Fan embassies will be available at each venue to give guests advice and support. "We have worked closely together with our partners FARE [the Football Against Racism in Europe network] to provide a comprehensive service for the fans," he said.
Falling into place
Austria's tournament director Christian Schmölzer said that the organisers were "in the starting blocks" for the eagerly-awaited final round. "All the different pieces are falling into place," he explained. "All of the different locations in the two host countries have lived up to expectations in terms of security and infrastructure - both decisive elements in them winning their bid [to stage the tournament]."
Great efforts
Switzerland's tournament director Christian Mutschler praised the co-operation with public officials and representatives at national and city levels. "Without these great efforts, this big party would not be possible," he said. "We believe that everything is ready to go, and I'm confident that we'll see some high-level matches."
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