Forward to Finland

By Luke Williams

Portugal and Spain's recent success in the UEFA European Under-17 Championship means they will will join hosts Finland as Europe's representatives at the FIFA Under-17 World Championship this summer.

Violante not carried away
However, Portugal coach António Violante, whose side won the European crown on home soil last Saturday by beating the Spanish 2-1 in the final, is refusing to get carried away. "We have achieved our first goal - to be in Finland this summer," he said. "It is a privilege for the players to have reached this tournament and it will be very good for them. We have no expectations whatsoever from now - we are going to think game by game, like we did this time, without making great plans."

Iberian dominance
Last Saturday's final maintained the Iberian dominance of this age level in Europe but, strangely enough, the FIFA U17 crown has never been lifted by either the Portuguese or the Spanish. Indeed France, the 2001 winners in Trinidad and Tobago, and the Soviet Union, victors in Canada in 1987, are the only European countries to have won the tournament in its nine stagings so far.

Sixteen nations
As well as Spain and Portugal, host nation Finland complete Europe's representation at this year's finals, which run from 13-30 August. A further 13 nations from around the world will battle it out with the European trio at four venues, in Helsinki, Lahti, Ratina and Turku, for the right to be crowned champions.

African participants not yet known
Mexico, Costa Rica, United States, Yemen, China, Korean Republic, Australia, Argentina, Brazil and Colombia have already secured their places in Finland while the identity of the three African representatives will be known in June. 

Excitement building
Although the event is still nearly three months away the excitement is already building in the host nation. "Finland hosted the Olympics in 1952 but the FIFA U17 Championship is the biggest football event we've ever staged," tournament director Lennart Wangel told uefa.com.

'Football fever'
"We are looking forward to an exciting summer with a real football fever around," Wangel continued. "We hope that our guests will enjoy Finnish nature and Finnish hospitality, and that after the tournament we can say that Finland is even better known around the world."

Experience helpful
Wangel's experience as a UEFA Champions League venue director, and Finland's experience in hosting the 2000/01 UEFA European Under-18 Championship are standing the country in good stead.

Big challenge
"We have experience [from the U18s] of what went well and what went wrong," he said. "My experience as a venue director helped us a lot in the UEFA U18 tournament. We want to organise a top-class tournament, the biggest challenge is to create a 'World Cup' atmosphere at the stadiums with as many spectators as possible," Wangel concluded.

Artificial landmark
It is also interesting to note that whichever two sides reach the final in the Töölö stadium in Helsinki on 30 August will have the honour of becoming the first countries in history to play a major international final on artificial turf. Here's hoping a European team will be in the final for this landmark!