UEFA Euro 2008
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This article documents a current football tournament. Information may change as the event progresses. |
| UEFA Euro 2008 Fußball-Europameisterschaft 2008 Championnat d'Europe de football 2008 Campionato europeo di calcio 2008 Campiunadi d'Europa da ballape 2008 |
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| Tournament details | |
| Host countries |  Austria Switzerland |
| Dates | 7 June – 29 June |
| Teams | 16 |
| Venue(s) | 8 (in 8 host cities) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 10 |
| Goals scored | 23 (2.3 per match) |
| Attendance | 341,507 (34,151 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  David Villa (3 goals) |
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Infobox last updated on: 22:12, 9 June 2008 (UTC). |
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The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2008, is the 13th edition of the UEFA European Football Championship, a quadrennial football tournament for European nations. The tournament, which is being hosted by Austria and Switzerland, began on 7 June 2008 and is scheduled to conclude with the final at Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna on 29 June 2008. It is the second successful joint bid in the competition's history, following the UEFA Euro 2000 hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands. The 2012 competition in Poland and Ukraine is scheduled to become the third jointly-hosted tournament.
A total of 16 teams are participating in the tournament. Austria and Switzerland automatically qualified as hosts; the remaining 14 teams were determined through qualifying matches which began in August 2006. Austria and Poland have both made their first appearance in the tournament. The winner of Euro 2008 will represent UEFA at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa, unless Italy wins the tournament, in which case the runner-up will be entered, as Italy is already entered as the winner of the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
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Bid process
Austria and Switzerland jointly bid to host the games, and faced major competition from Greece/Turkey, Scotland/Ireland, Russia, Hungary, Croatia/Bosnia-Herzegovina and a 4-way Nordic bid from Norway/Sweden/Denmark/Finland. Austria had already bid with another country before, which was Hungary for Euro 2004. They eventually lost to Portugal.
Austria/Switzerland, Greece/Turkey, and Hungary were recommended before the final vote. Greece and Turkey were rejected and let Hungary and Austria/Switzerland battle for the win.
Venues
The tournament will be played at eight venues throughout the two host nations; four in Austria and four in Switzerland. Each venue has a capacity of at least 30,000 for the tournament; the largest stadium is Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna with a capacity of 53,295.[1] It is for this reason that Ernst Happel Stadion will host the final. Switzerland will play all of its group stage matches at St. Jakob Park in Basel, which also hosted the opening match of the tournament as a compromise for the final being held in Vienna. Austria will play all of its group stage matches at Ernst Happel Stadion.
In 2004, the Zürich venue became a problem for the organisers. Originally, the Hardturm stadium was to be renovated and used as the city's venue, but legal challenges delayed the plan to a point that would not have allowed the ground to be used in 2008. This created a problem, as the agreement between UEFA and the organizers stipulated that four venues would be used in each country. The problem was solved when the organizers proposed renovating Letzigrund instead; UEFA approved the revised plan in January 2005. The Letzigrund stadium hosted its first football match on 23 September 2007.[2]
| Vienna | Klagenfurt | Salzburg | Innsbruck |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ernst Happel Stadion Capacity: 53,295 |
Hypo-Arena Capacity: 31,957 |
Wals Siezenheim Stadion Capacity: 31,020 |
Tivoli Neu Capacity: 31,600 |
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| Basel | Berne | Geneva | Zürich |
| St. Jakob-Park Capacity: 42,000 |
Stade de Suisse Capacity: 31,907 |
Stade de Genève Capacity: 31,228 |
Letzigrund Capacity: 30,000 |
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New trophy
A new trophy will be awarded to the winners of the Euro 2008 tournament. The new version of the Henri Delaunay Trophy, created by Asprey London,[3] is almost an exact replica of the original designed by Arthus-Bertrand. A small figure juggling a ball on the back of the original has been removed, as has the marble plinth. The silver base of the trophy also had to be enlarged to make it stable. The names of the winning countries that had appeared on the plinth have now been engraved on the back of the trophy, which is made of sterling silver, weighs 8 kilograms (17.6 lb) and is 60 centimetres (24 in) tall.
Qualifying
The draw for the qualifying round took place in Montreux, Switzerland on 27 January 2006 at 12:00 CET.
The qualifying process commenced a month after the 2006 World Cup. Austria and Switzerland automatically qualified for the tournament finals as host nations.
The qualifying format was changed compared to previous tournaments. The winners and runners-up from seven groups automatically qualified for the Championship, with the hosts filling the other two slots in the 16-team tournament. The change means there were no play-offs between teams finishing in second place in the groups—they qualified directly for the finals. Teams that finished in third place didn't have any further opportunity to qualify. Six of the qualifying groups contained seven teams, and the other, Group A, contained eight.
Qualified teams
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1 Bold indicates champion for that year
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2 as Czechoslovakia
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3 as West Germany
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4 as Soviet Union
Spain controversy
FIFA president Sepp Blatter threatened Spain with expulsion from international football had the Spanish government interfered in the election process of the Spanish Football Federation, but no action was deemed necessary.[4]
Seeding
The draw for the final tournament took place on 2 December 2007 at the Culture and Convention Centre in Lucerne.[5]
In a return to the format used at Euro 92 and Euro 96 the games in each group will be held at just two stadia, with the seeded team remaining in the same city for all three matches. As was the case at the 2000 and 2004 finals, the finalists were divided into four seeding pots, based on average points per game in the qualifying phases of the 2006 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2008, with each group having one team from each pot. Switzerland and Austria, as co-hosts, and Greece, as defending champions, were seeded first automatically.[6][7] The Netherlands were seeded based on their UEFA coefficient in the Euro 2008 finalists ranking.
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
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Match officials
Twelve referees and twenty four assistants were selected for the tournament:[8]
| Football Association |
Referee | Assistants | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria |
Konrad Plautz | Egon Bereuter | Markus Mayr |
.svg/22px-Flag_of_Belgium_(civil).svg.png){kind=small} Belgium |
Frank de Bleeckere | Peter Hermans | Alex Verstraeten |
 England |
Howard Webb | Darren Cann | Mike Mullarkey |
 Germany |
Herbert Fandel | Carsten Kadach | Volker Wezel |
 Greece |
Kyros Vassaras | Dimitiris Bozartzidis | Dimitiris Saraidaris |
 Italy |
Roberto Rosetti | Alessandro Griselli | Paolo Calcagno |
 Netherlands |
Pieter Vink | Adriaan Inia | Hans ten Hoove |
 Norway |
Tom Henning Øvrebø | Geir Åge Holen | Jan Petter Randen[9] |
 Slovakia |
Ľuboš Micheľ | Roman Slysko | Martin Balko |
| Spain |
Manuel Mejuto González | Juan Carlos Yuste Jiménez | Jesús Calvo Guadamuro |
 Sweden |
Peter Fröjdfeldt | Stefan Wittberg | Henrik Andren |
| Switzerland |
Massimo Busacca | Matthias Arnet | Stephane Cuhat |
Squads
Each nation had to submit a squad of 23 players, three of which had to be goalkeepers, by 28 May 2008. If a player was injured seriously enough to prevent him from taking part in the tournament before his team's first match, he could be replaced by another player.[10]
Results
All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)
Group stage
In the following tables:
- Pld = total games played; W = total games won; D = total games drawn (tied); L = total games lost; GF = total goals scored (goals for); GA = total goals conceded (goals against); GD = goal difference (GF−GA); Pts = total points accumulated (3W+D)
Should two teams from the same group finish with an equal number of points, they will be ranked based on the following criteria:[11]
- Number of points earned in matches between the teams in question;
- Goal difference in matches between the teams in question (in cases where there are more than two teams equal on points);
- Goals scored in matches between the teams in question (in cases where there are more than two teams equal on points);
- Goal difference in all group matches;
- Goals scored in all group matches;
- In cases where exactly two teams are equal in all previously listed critera and play one another to a draw in their final group match, kicks from the penalty mark will be conducted in lieu of the remaining criteria;
- The number of points obtained by the teams in question divided by the number of matches played in the qualifying competitions for the 2006 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2008;
- Fair play conduct of the teams in the group stage;
- Drawing of lots.
Group A
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Portugal |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 6 |
 Czech Republic |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 3 |
 Turkey |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 3 |
| Switzerland |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 0 |
| 7 June 2008 | ||
| Switzerland |
0 – 1 | Czech Republic |
| Portugal |
2 – 0 | Turkey |
| 11 June 2008 | ||
| Czech Republic |
1 – 3 | Portugal |
| Switzerland |
1 – 2 | Turkey |
| 15 June 2008 | ||
| Switzerland |
v | Portugal |
| Turkey |
v | Czech Republic |
- Qualification
- Portugal has qualified for the quarter-finals as group winners.
- The winner of the Turkey vs Czech Republic game will qualify for the quarter-finals. If the game finishes as a draw, the qualifying team will be determined by a penalty shootout.
- Switzerland cannot reach the quarter-finals.
Group B
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 3 |
 Croatia |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 |
| Austria |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0 |
 Poland |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 | 0 |
| 8 June 2008 | ||
| Austria |
0 – 1 | Croatia |
| Germany |
2 – 0 | Poland |
| 12 June 2008 | ||
| Croatia |
v | Germany |
| Austria |
v | Poland |
| 16 June 2008 | ||
| Poland |
v | Croatia |
| Austria |
v | Germany |
Group C
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 3 |
 France |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Romania |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Italy |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | −3 | 0 |
| 9 June 2008 | ||
| Romania |
0 – 0 | France |
| Netherlands |
3 – 0 | Italy |
| 13 June 2008 | ||
| Italy |
v | Romania |
| Netherlands |
v | France |
| 17 June 2008 | ||
| Netherlands |
v | Romania |
| France |
v | Italy |
Group D
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 3 |
| Sweden |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 3 |
| Greece |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 | 0 |
 Russia |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 0 |
| 10 June 2008 | ||
| Spain |
4 – 1 | Russia |
| Greece |
0 – 2 | Sweden |
| 14 June 2008 | ||
| Sweden |
v | Spain |
| Greece |
v | Russia |
| 18 June 2008 | ||
| Greece |
v | Spain |
| Russia |
v | Sweden |
Knockout stage
The knockout stage is different from that of past tournaments. Teams in groups A and B will be separated from teams in groups C and D until the final. The reason for the format change is to equalise the rest periods during the knockout stage. However, this compromises the unpredictability of the competition, as there is, firstly, a greater chance of a group fixture being replayed in the knockout stage; and secondly, the impossibility of a final between two teams drawn in the same half of the tournament. Also, in another major change, for the first time in a European Championship, only two venues (St. Jakob-Park, Basel and Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna—the two largest of the eight stadiums used) will be used for the seven matches in the knockout stage of the tournament.[12]
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 19 June - Basel | ||||||||||
| Portugal |
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| 25 June - Basel | ||||||||||
| Runner-up Group B | ||||||||||
| Winner of QF1 | ||||||||||
| 20 June - Vienna | ||||||||||
| Winner of QF2 | ||||||||||
| Winner Group B | ||||||||||
| 29 June - Vienna | ||||||||||
| Runner-up Group A | ||||||||||
| Winner of SF1 | ||||||||||
| 21 June - Basel | ||||||||||
| Winner of SF2 | ||||||||||
| Winner Group C | ||||||||||
| 26 June - Vienna | ||||||||||
| Runner-up Group D | ||||||||||
| Winner of QF3 | ||||||||||
| 22 June - Vienna | ||||||||||
| Winner of QF4 | ||||||||||
| Winner Group D | ||||||||||
| Runner-up Group C | ||||||||||
Quarter-finals
| 2008-06-19 20:45 |
Portugal |
v | Runner-up of Group B | St. Jakob-Park, Basel |
| 2008-06-20 20:45 |
Winner of Group B | v | Runner-up of Group A | Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna |
| 2008-06-21 20:45 |
Winner of Group C | v | Runner-up of Group D | St. Jakob-Park, Basel |
| 2008-06-22 20:45 |
Winner of Group D | v | Runner-up of Group C | Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna |
Semi-finals
| 2008-06-25 20:45 |
Winner of Quarter-final 1 | v | Winner of Quarter-final 2 | St. Jakob-Park, Basel |
| 2008-06-26 20:45 |
Winner of Quarter-final 3 | v | Winner of Quarter-final 4 | Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna |
Final
| 2008-06-29 20:45 |
Winner of Semi-final 1 | v | Winner of Semi-final 2 | Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna |
Statistics
Goalscorers
- 3 goals
- 2 goals
- 1 goal
- Luka Modrić
- Libor Sionko
- Václav Svěrkoš
- Giovanni van Bronckhorst
- Ruud van Nistelrooy
- Wesley Sneijder
- Deco
- Raul Meireles
- Pepe
- Ricardo Quaresma
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Roman Pavlyuchenko
- Cesc Fàbregas
- Petter Hansson
- Zlatan Ibrahimović
- Hakan Yakin
- Semih Şentürk
- Arda Turan
Goals
- Fastest goal scored: 4 minutes – Luka Modrić for Croatia against Austria
- Latest goal scored: 90+3 minutes – Raul Meireles for Portugal against Turkey
- Most goals scored in a match: 5 – Spain 4–1 Russia
- Fewest goals scored in a match: 0 – Romania 0–0 France
- Greatest winning margin: 3
- Spain 4–1 Russia
- Netherlands 3–0 Italy
Tournament firsts
- First yellow card: Ludovic Magnin for Switzerland against Czech Republic – 59 minutes
- First goal: Václav Svěrkoš for Czech Republic against Switzerland – 71 minutes
- First clean sheet: Petr Čech for Czech Republic against Switzerland
- First hat-trick: David Villa for Spain against Russia
Miscellany
Match ball
The match ball for the finals was unveiled at the draw ceremony. Produced by Adidas and named the Europass, it is a 14-panel ball in the same construction as the Teamgeist, but with a modified surface design.[13] A version named the Europass Gloria will be used in the final.[14]
There have been concerns raised about the match ball because it deviates so much in flight, making it difficult to judge for goalkeepers. Notable players to criticise are Germany's Jens Lehmann and the Czech Republic's Petr Čech.[15]
Kits
Four different kit manufacturers are represented at the competition:
| Kit maker | Teams |
|---|---|
| Adidas | France, Germany, Greece, Romania, Spain |
| Nike | Croatia, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Turkey |
| Puma | Austria, Czech Republic, Italy, Poland, Switzerland |
| Umbro | Sweden |
Music
The official Euro 2008 song is "Can You Hear Me" by Enrique Iglesias. It will be performed live as part of the official closing ceremony after the final in Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna on June 29. "Can You Hear Me" was written by Enrique Iglesias, Steve Morales and Frankie Storm, recorded at Circle House Studios in Miami and produced by Big Ben Diehl and Carlos Pacuar. It is 3 minutes and 44 seconds in length. The music video, directed by Paul Minor, features football tricks.
As well as the official song, two soundtracks, "Like a Superstar" and "Feel the Rush", have been recorded by Jamaican reggae artist Shaggy as mascot songs for Euro 2008. They form a musical background to video clips featuring the twin mascots Trix and Flix.
The official Swiss song for the tournament is a new version of "Bring en hei" by Baschi. [16] Croatia manager, Slaven Bilić has recorded his country's official Euro 2008 song, "Vatreno Ludilo" ("Fiery Madness"), with his rock group, Rawbau.
Mascots
The two official mascots for UEFA Euro 2008, were named after a vote from the public of the two host nations, the options were:
- Zigi and Zagi
- Flitz and Bitz
- Trix and Flix
After receiving 36.3% of the vote, Trix and Flix were chosen. "I am sure the mascots and their names will become a vital part of the understanding of the whole event," said Christian Mutschler, who is the tournament director for Switzerland.[17]
Slogan
The slogan for UEFA Euro 2008 was chosen on 24 January 2007: Expect Emotions.
The UEFA President Michel Platini stated "It describes in a nutshell what the UEFA Euro 2008 has to offer: all kinds of emotions—joy, disappointment, relief or high tension—right up to the final whistle."[18]
Prize money
UEFA announced that total of €184 million has been offered to the 16 teams competing in this tournament, increasing from €129 million in the previous tournament. The distributions as below:[19]
- Participating fee: €7.5 million
Extra payment based on teams performances:
- Group stage (per match):
- Win: €1 million
- Draw: €500,000
- Quarter-finals: €2 million
- Semi-finals: €3 million
- Runner-up: €4.5 million
- Winner: €7.5 million
If the winner of the tournament wins all three matches in the group stage, they will receive a total prize of €23 million.
Broadcasting rights
Many of the world's national broadcasters have secured broadcasting rights of the tournament, as of 16 January 2008.[20]
References
- ^ UEFA EURO 2008. fussballtempel.net. Retrieved on 2008-06-08.
- ^ Zurich - Letzigrund Stadion.
- ^ New trophy announced at UEFA site.
- ^ "Fifa warns Spain of possible ban", BBC Sport, 2008-02-18. Retrieved on 2008-02-25.
- ^ "Draw sets up heavyweight contests", uefa.com, 2007-12-02. Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
- ^ Format from UEFA Website.
- ^ UEFA Euro 2008 Information (PDF).
- ^ UEFA Euro 2008 referees.
- ^ Hundredeler for treig til EM-plass.
- ^ Regulations of the UEFA European Football Championship 2006/08 (PDF).
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Euro-Format means group rivals cannot meet again in final", Yahoo! Sports, 2008-06-03. Retrieved on 2008-06-03.
- ^ "adidas "EUROPASS" – the match ball with "goose bumps" for UEFA EURO 2008", Lucerne/Herzogenaurach: adidas, 2007-12-02. Retrieved on 2007-12-04.
- ^ "Final ball rolled out in Vienna", euro2008.uefa.com, 2008-04-30. Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
- ^ "Cech concerned by Euro 2008 ball", BBC Sport, 2008-06-06. Retrieved on 2008-06-06.
- ^ Official UEFA EURO 2008 Song: "Can You Hear Me" by Enrique Iglesias
- ^ Official Mascot Naming.
- ^ Expect Emotions at Euro 2008.
- ^ UEFA raises 2008 prize money.
- ^ UEFA Euro 2008 Broadcasting Rights (PDF).
External links
- UEFA Euro 2008 Official Site
- Travel guide for the tournament from Wikitravel
