“I think it’s too difficult, and in a way unfair that some teams have to cover more than 10,000 kilometers and others 1,000 for example. Hallelujah. On the eve of the Euro 2021 final, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has finally said out loud what all the fans, journalists and members of the delegations have been saying since the start of the competition.
In an interview broadcast Friday by the BBC, Ceferin therefore buries the possibility of reviewing under his mandate the formula of a Euro disseminated across the continent, wanted and organized by Michel Platini to celebrate the 60 years of the competition. “It’s an interesting idea but difficult to implement. I don’t think we’ll do it again. “
Injustice and ecology
The UEFA president points to the inequity of this device, especially for fans who “were to be in Rome, then in Baku the next day or a few days later with a four and a half hour flight”. Many of his detractors have pointed out in particular that England had played almost the entire competition (6 games out of 7) at home in its Wembley stadium, and that the four semi-finalists played in the group stage at home.
In this period of the coronavirus pandemic, the movements of supporters have also been severely limited by the health restrictions of the various countries, England in particular refusing to welcome foreigners during the Final Four. Many saw in this decision a desire to “privatize” the final for the benefit of the Three Lions. The ecological consequences of these many and long trips of the national selections were also pointed out.