At the close of the Euro 2008 tournament Monday, misanthropes may grumble about the heavy rains that plagued several matches, the instances of violence outside the stadiums, referees’ errors and the trading of black market tickets.
But all in all, the football competition co-hosted by Austria and Switzerland was truly a great sporting success, an event which British reporter Martin Rogers called “one of the most bustling and memorable large competitions ever.”
In regards to media coverage, this is the Euro event that attracted the widest attention from media sources thus far.
Around 10,000 reporters from more than 100 countries and territories attended to report on the game.
The number of reporters from Asia, including Vietnam, was greater than those of previous events.
Euro 2008 was not less significant than the World Cup in terms of the number of reporters.
On the occasion of this event, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) earned about US$500 million in television rights.
Euro 2008 also attracted a record number of fans, as stadiums were always filled.
“FanZones,” the special designated areas in certain cities that provided live television coverage of matches appealed to millions during the competition.
The official website for Euro 2008 was visited more than one billion times.
If co-hosts Austria and Switzerland had gone deep into the tournament, the atmosphere outside of host stadiums would have been incredibly charged up.
The quality of competitive football at Euro 2008 was highly regarded by experts, reporters and fans alike.
A total of 31 matches offered spectators countless wonderful individual performances, nice surprises, beautiful on-ball actions, and many dramatic endings.
Certain teams delivered all-around excitement with their aggressive style of play and flair, including Spain, Holland and Russia.
Violence in the aftermath of match outcomes and dubious official decisions were greatly reduced compared to previous large competitions.
Euro 2008 also broadcast a grander message to society beyond the fun of sport – the message of fighting racial discrimination and calling for peace, friendship, humanity, solidarity and mutual respect for all.
The official slogan of this championship was “Expect Emotions.” For nearly one month, fans could just let their emotions fly with the ball.
They experienced various degrees of joy, sorrow, excitement and disappointment.
Such feelings are natural for the thrilling roller-coaster ride of tournament football.
It was easy to understand why Michel Platini, UEFA chairman, was so happy presenting at the closing ceremony of the event.
He repeated the phrase “Wonderful, wonderful.” The final contest had brought aggressive attacking football back in style.
It replaced the defensive play that dominated the last World Cup tournament.
Spain, the victors, had played a brash finale and won unequivocally over its more celebrated opponent Germany.
Fans could not have asked for more than the thrilling 1-0 outcome that occurred at Ernst-Happel Stadium in Vienna, Austria.
Euro 2008 was almost perfect.
The prestige of the European football championship was once again consolidated and now UEFA has bigger ambitions on the horizon, for example, plans to increase the number of teams for the tournament to 24.
If this vision is realized, the Euro tournament will become a truly viable competitor with the World Cup.
Just wait and see.
Reported by Do Hung (From Vienna, Austria) |
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