EURO excitement hailed

By Mark Chaplin in Stockholm

International football is alive and kicking - with events at this summer's UEFA EURO 2004™ final round in Portugal testimony to the unique excitement created by this sector of the game.

Best EURO ever
Europe's national team coaches - many of whom lived through the highs and lows of the tournament in June and July - heard at a keynote UEFA conference in Stockholm on Monday that they and their teams had contributed to the best EURO final round ever on and off the field.

No doubts
"Anyone who doubts the future of national team football must have been asleep during EURO 2004™," UEFA technical director Andy Roxburgh told the gathering of coaches and technical directors from UEFA's 52 member associations at the sixth UEFA Conference for European National Team Coaches in the Swedish capital.

Fantastic boost
*The boost given to national team football by EURO 2004™ was fantastic," he added. "We have to thank the coaches, players and the Portuguese people for everything that they did for producing a wonderful environment."

Technical trends
The European coaching fraternity is in Stockholm for three days of discussions aimed at digesting the technical trends from the EURO final round with an eye to football's future. The development of national team football is one of the topics to come under the microscope.

Variety of reasons
Roxburgh gave a variety of reasons why the tournament in Portugal was considered so successful by UEFA - first of all, the fantastic atmosphere generated by the fans and Portuguese people. "There was an incredible environment for such a competition, and no violence in addition," he said, adding that EURO had now matched other major sporting events such as the Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup in terms of public interest.

Intense competition
"The competition was intense - we started out with 50 per cent of the teams involved capable of winning the title," he added. "There was no doping, and fair play in general was incredible."

Spectacle and drama
The UEFA technical director praised the standard of refereeing in Portugal, and said that UEFA's decision to form experienced trios had been fully justified. On the field, a series of surprises culminated in Greece unexpectedly winning the title, and some of the matches had been unforgettable for the spectacle and drama they had produced.

Speed and skill
In technical and tactical terms, the combination of speed and skill was now essential for success at the highest level, Roxburgh stressed, and pointed out that EURO 2004™ had also seen a resurgence in attacking wing play to enable teams to unlock increasingly sophisticated defensive formations.

Rapid counterattacking
Possession of the ball is no longer an obvious route to success. "Controlling the game is just as important rather than having the ball all the time," he said. "The speed of transition from defence to attack and rapid counterattacking to outflank defensive blocks is also a key component of the modern game.

Pure class
"The coaches at EURO did a good job in a very short period of recovery from domestic and European club competitions to get the teams into condition," Roxburgh said. "They were pure class in the way they treated people and handled difficult situations. They are big decision-makers, because they have to pick teams and decide on the way that they are going to play."

Risk-takers
"And, of course, to be a national coach, you've got to be a risk-taker," Roxburgh concluded. "If you're not prepared to take a risk, you would never put yourself in the position."