|
Year ahead in UEFA
| |
|
|
The UEFA EURO 2012T hosts will be picked next
year (¿uefa.com)
|
Elections, the choice of the hosts for UEFA EURO 2012T and
continuing dialogue with the European political authorities are high on
UEFA's list of priorities for 2007.
Congress elections
The German city of Dusseldorf will be the setting for the XXXI Ordinary
UEFA Congress on 25/26 January. Elections will take place for a four-year
term as UEFA President, and the two candidates are incumbent Lennart Johansson
(Sweden) and UEFA Executive Committee member Michel Platini (France).
Executive Committee
In addition, 13 prominent football administrators have submitted their
candidature for election to the UEFA Executive Committee, with six seats,
held by those current members whose terms of office are expiring, available.
The six seats are available for four-year terms for the period 2007-2011.
2012 hosts
In April, UEFA is set to make its decision on the hosts for UEFA EURO
2012T. Three candidates - Croatia/Hungary, Italy and Poland/Ukraine -
are in the running to stage European football's blue-riband national-team
tournament in more than five years' time. Meanwhile, preparations will
be hotting up for UEFA EURO 2008T in Austria and Switzerland, with UEFA
and the two hosts associations eager to ensure that the momentum achieved
so far is maintained.
EU relationship
The year 2007 will see further developments in UEFA's relationship with
the European Union, following the publishing of last year's Independent
European Sport Review, which put forward a number of recommendations for
the well-being of the European game.
White paper
The European Commission has now launched a white paper which should ultimately
define the European Union's policies and legislation in the field of sport,
and UEFA hopes that the findings of the review will be taken into sufficient
consideration. UEFA will likewise await developments in the case involving
Belgian club R. Charleroi SC. Charleroi are claiming compensation from
the world football body FIFA because one of their players returned injured
from an international friendly match for Morocco last year. The case is
currently with the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.
Brussels exhibition
A football exhibition next summer, for which the government of the Brussels
region has teamed up with UEFA, will highlight Europe and football. Only
a Game? will run from 23 May to 26 August 2007 in the Parc du Cinquantennaire,
Brussels's most prestigious exhibition venue. Its goal is to show Europe
through football: at the heart of the display will be a huge table-football
and an interactive sphere. Visitors will be able to immerse themselves
in the history and culture of the game, and will encounter many interactive
elements and rare items from prestigious European sports museums. French
star Lilian Thuram has agreed to act as patron.
Further activities
Coupled with the events above are, among other things, UEFA's campaigning
against racism in football, its efforts to further improve safety and
security in stadiums and promote referee development, activities to help
improve the associations' decision-making through its Top Executive Programme,
and an increase in anti-doping controls...another hectic UEFA year lies
ahead!
By Mark Chaplin from Nyon. UEFA.com,
31 December 2006
|
|
