Show respect, set example
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
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UEFA's General Secretary launched the new season by highlighting the positive attitude shown at the EURO.
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Positive attitude
At the draw for the first and second qualifying rounds of the UEFA Champions League, at UEFA's headquarters in Nyon on Tuesday, UEFA General Secretary David Taylor said the European body welcomed the general positive attitude prevalent at the EURO in Austria and Switzerland – and asked for more of the same over the coming club campaign. "We had almost three weeks of exceptional national-team football in EURO 2008™ in Switzerland and Austria, and one of the most pleasing aspects of this tournament was that our new campaign and motto, Respect, was well accepted by all the players and coaches both on and off the pitch," Mr Taylor told club representatives.
Highlight
"For UEFA, this was really one of the highlights of the tournament, and at the beginning of the season, we'd like to remind clubs of their obligations and for respect to be shown between players and officials. Please follow the great example set by the teams and players at EURO 2008™ and make respect for others a key priority of your football club. Respect for opponents, respect for the referee and respect for the game of football itself."
Domestic success
Mr Taylor congratulated the clubs present in Nyon for the draw ceremony on their domestic success. "All clubs represented in these draws are champions in their own right – champions of their own national league competitions," he said. "It's a great achievement winning your own championship, and as an additional bonus you are entitled to enter the UEFA Champions League – provided, of course, you have a club licence and fulfil all the admission criteria. This is important because UEFA are determined to have a set of standards that all clubs must adhere to if they want to compete in our European competitions.
World's best
"The UEFA Champions League is now considered, of course, as the best and most challenging club competition in the world," the General Secretary added. "And to be part of it, even in the early stages of this qualification competition, is a great achievement for all clubs here today. It does seem only yesterday that we were witnessing Manchester United [FC] lifting the Champions League trophy in the small hours of the morning in the giant Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow – and here we are already set for another season."