Looking Ahead to the 2008 European Cup
July 11, 2006
"The structure is there, but we have to work on finishing the interior and surrounding area," said Swiss European Cup manager Christian Mutschler in Munich on preparations for the next major soccer championship in 2008.
The World Cup, which ended Sunday with an Italian victory, left a big impression on European Cup organizers. They're counting on putting on an equally well-planned and festive event two years from now.
"The bar is very high, but it can even be exceeded," said Mutschler. Austrian tournament manager Christian Schmölzer added, "We have learned a lot from how Germany organized the World Cup. At the same time, we want to be a bit less bureaucratic in some areas," which should possible in the smaller-scale European Cup.
The World Cup as a model
"This World Cup has given us a great model to work from," said the president of the Austrian Football Association, Friedrich Stickler. "The European Cup 2008 is going to be just as nice of a soccer festival," added his Swiss colleague, Ralph Zloczower.
All those involved seemed confident that they could do justice to the high expectations placed on the European Cup organizational committee. There are many positive aspects from the World Cup that are worth borrowing in 2008 -- successful public viewing and the security concept, to name a couple.
The Swiss and Austrian soccer association presidents said the German people demonstrated "exemplary behavior for a host country" with their open and cheerful party spirit.
"A lot changed in Germany, and that gives us hope too," said Stickler and Zloczower.
Qualifications begin August 16
The European Cup will take place from June 7 - 29, 2008. 31 games will be played in eight different stadiums -- four in each of the two host countries. The Swiss national team will head Group A and play all their games in Basel's St. Jakob Park, which is to be expanded to fit 40,000 by 2008.
The Austrians, heading Group B, will play their games in the Ernst-Happel Stadium in Vienna. The final game will also be played in the 50,000-seat stadium in Austria's capital, the largest of the official European Cup stadiums. The other Cup games will take place in stadiums seating approximately 30,000 spectators each in Bern, Geneva, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Salzburg and Zurich.
Qualification matches for the European Cup 2008 begin this year on August 16 and will last until November 21, 2007. The German national team will enter the qualification phase on September 2, 2006 when it plays against Ireland in Stuttgart. Groups of four teams each will be drawn from the qualifying teams on December 2, 2007.