Manchester United profile

Formed: 1878
Nickname: The Red Devils

UEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets)
• European Champion Clubs’ Cup: 1968, 1999, 2008, (2009, 2011)
• UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup: 1991
• UEFA Super Cup: 1991, (1999), (2008)

Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets)
• League title: 19 (2011)
• FA Cup: 11 (2004)
• League Cup: 4 (2010)

History
• United were formed in 1878 as Newton Heath L&YR FC, a railway works side which joined the English Football League in 1892. The club claimed a place in the First Division in 1906, and in 1907/08 they brought home their first championship before an inaugural FA Cup win in 1909. The next year United moved to Old Trafford and reclaimed the league trophy in their first season at the ground.

• A period of relative mediocrity followed, but the club were transformed forever by the appointment of Matt Busby as manager in 1945. The Scot developed a team of youngsters who went on to become English champions three times in the 1950s, yet the Busby Babes era ended prematurely with the Munich air disaster of 6 February 1958 which claimed the lives of 21 people, including eight players.

• Busby himself had to recover from serious injuries before rebuilding the squad. The FA Cup was recaptured in 1963 after a 15-year gap, then the league in 1964/65 and 1966/67. Busby’s crowning glory came when a team featuring Bobby Charlton, George Best and Denis Law became the first English side to lift the European Champion Clubs’ Cup, although the injured Law missed the victory against SL Benfica in the 1968 Wembley final.

• Busby finally stood down in 1971 and proved a hard act to follow until the arrival of Alex Ferguson in 1986, the latter’s first trophy arriving with the 1990 FA Cup. United followed up with the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup the next season.

• After bringing in Eric Cantona, Sir Alex’s team ended a 26-year wait by claiming an eighth league title in the inaugural Premier League season of 1992/93. The new competition suited United, who went on to become a hugely dominant force in the domestic game while returning to the European summit in their treble-winning 1998/99 campaign and again in 2007/08. By winning the league for the 19th time in 2010/11, the Red Devils surpassed Liverpool FC as the most successful club in English football.

Club records
Most appearances: Ryan Giggs (876)*
Most goals: Bobby Charlton (249)
Record victory: United 10-0 RSC Anderlecht (European Champion Clubs’ Cup, 26 September 1956)
Record defeat: 7-0 on three occasions, most recently at Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (League, 26 December 1931)

From: http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/season=2012/clubs/club=52682/profile/index.html

APOEL Nicosia FC profile

Formed: 1926
Nickname: Thrylos (Legend)

UEFA club competition honours
• None

Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets) 
• League title: 21 (2011)
• Cypriot Cup: 19 (2008)

History
• The club was founded at a confectionery shop in November 1926, born out of a desire to create a side representing Nicosia’s Greek-Cypriot population. Initially named POEL, they added an A two years later with the creation of a track and field athletics division.

• Within a decade they were Cypriot champions, announcing themselves with a title in the second edition of the top flight, then underlining their early dominance with a further four in a row. APOEL collected another four championships in eight seasons after the Second World War.

• The emergence of AEL Limassol FC, Anorthosis Famagusta FC and especially AC Omonia ended APOEL’s hegemony. The Thrylos added only three more titles over the next 31 seasons and though they became the first Cypriot club to win a European tie in 1963, any kudos vanished when they lost 16-1 to Sporting Clube de Portugal next time out. That UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup second round first-leg loss remains a UEFA club competition record.

• The 1990s brought a returned to prominence for APOEL, a haul of three championships and five cup successes reaching a peak in 1995/96 when they responded to Super Cup disappointment by going through the season unbeaten. The revival continued and, 25 years after losing the status to Omonia, they re-established themselves as Cyprus’ most successful side in 2009.

• It would prove APOEL’s annus mirabilis, as that autumn they defeated FK Partizan and FC København to reach the UEFA Champions League group stage. The foray into unknown European territory brought no repeat of 1963, either, as they twice held Club Atlético de Madrid and drew 2-2 at Chelsea FC. Two years later they booked a return, becoming the first Cypriot side to grace the group stage twice.

Club records
Most appearances: Yiannos Ioannou (371)
Most goals: Yiannos Ioannou (191)
Record victory: APOEL 17-1 Aris Limassol FC (First Division, 4 June 1967)
Record defeat: Sporting Clube de Portugal 16-1 APOEL (UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup (13 November 1963)

From: http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/season=2012/clubs/club=50118/profile/index.html

Round of 16 Draw Results

Round of 16 1st leg and 2nd leg dates

14/02/2012 – 07/03/2012

Lyon		20:45		APOEL
Leverkusen		20:45		Barcelona

15/02/2012 – 06/03/2012

Zenit		18:00		Benfica
Milan		20:45		Arsenal

21/02/2012 – 14/03/2012

CSKA Moskva		18:00		Real Madrid
Napoli		20:45		Chelsea

22/02/2012 – 13/03/2012

Marseille		20:45		Internazionale
Basel		20:45		Bayern

Last 16 await Friday’s draw

The UEFA Champions League round of 16 draw in Nyon will be streamed live on UEFA.com from 12.00CET on Friday 16 December – and will feature seven former title holders.

The lineup for the draw contains seven past winners of Europe’s premier club competition as well as four teams new to the knockout stage. Though FC Basel 1893 have previously appeared in a second group stage, this is the first time the Swiss outfit have reached the round of 16, while SSC Napoli, FC Zenit St Petersburg and APOEL FC – the first Cypriot representatives to have come so far – are also in uncharted territory.

Two seeding pots have been formed: one consisting of group winners and the other of runners-up.

Group winners: FC Bayern München, FC Internazionale Milano, SL Benfica, Real Madrid CF, Chelsea FC, Arsenal FC, APOEL FC, FC Barcelona

Group runners-up: SSC Napoli, PFC CSKA Moskva, FC Basel 1893, Olympique Lyonnais, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Olympique de Marseille, FC Zenit St Petersburg, AC Milan

Seeded group winners will be away in the round of 16 first legs on 14/15 and 21/22 February and at home in the return matches on 6/7 and 13/14 March. No team can play a club from their group or any side from the same association.

The draw for the remainder of the competition will be held on 16 March and the tournament concludes at the Fußball Arena München on 19 May. Bayern are looking to become the first team to play a European Cup final in their own stadium since AS Roma in 1984.

Group winners
A: FC Bayern München (GER)
Can play: CSKA, Basel, Lyon, Marseille, Zenit, Milan.
Qualified as: third place, Germany
Last season: round of 16
Previous seasons in UEFA Champions League: 14
Previous European Champion Clubs’ Cup best: winners (four times)

B: FC Internazionale Milano (ITA)
Can play: Basel, Lyon, Leverkusen, Marseille, Zenit
Qualified as: runners-up, Italy
Last season: quarter-finals
Previous seasons in UEFA Champions League: 10
Previous European Champion Clubs’ Cup best: winners (three times)

C: SL Benfica (POR)
Can play: Napoli, CSKA, Lyon, Leverkusen, Marseille, Zenit, Milan
Last season: UEFA Europa League semi-finals
Qualified as: runners-up, Portugal
Previous seasons in UEFA Champions League: 6
Previous European Champion Clubs’ Cup best: winners (twice)

D: Real Madrid CF (ESP)
Can play: Napoli, CSKA, Basel, Leverkusen, Marseille, Zenit, Milan
Qualified as: runners-up, Spain
Last season: semi-finals
Previous seasons in UEFA Champions League: 15
Previous European Champion Clubs’ Cup best: winners (nine times)

E: Chelsea FC (ENG)
Can play: Napoli, CSKA, Basel, Lyon, Marseille, Zenit, Milan
Qualified as: runners-up, England
Last season: quarter-finals
Previous seasons in UEFA Champions League: 9
Previous European Champion Clubs’ Cup best: runners-up

F: Arsenal FC (ENG)
Can play: Napoli, CSKA, Basel, Lyon, Leverkusen, Zenit, Milan
Qualified as: fourth place, England
Last season: round of 16
Previous seasons in UEFA Champions League: 13
Previous European Champion Clubs’ Cup best: runners-up

G: APOEL FC (CYP)
Can play: Napoli, CSKA, Basel, Lyon, Leverkusen, Marseille, Milan
Qualified as: champions, Cyprus
Last season: UEFA Europa League play-offs
Previous seasons in UEFA Champions League: 1
Previous European Champion Clubs’ Cup best: group stage

H: FC Barcelona (ESP, holders)
Can play: Napoli, CSKA, Basel, Lyon, Leverkusen, Marseille, Zenit
Qualified as: holders / champions, Spain
Last season: winners
Previous seasons in UEFA Champions League: 15
Previous European Champion Clubs’ Cup best: winners (four times)

Runners-up
A: SSC Napoli (ITA)
Can play: Benfica, Madrid, Chelsea, Arsenal, APOEL, Barcelona
Qualified as: third place, Italy
Last season: UEFA Europa League round of 32
Previous seasons in UEFA Champions League: 0
Previous European Champion Clubs’ Cup best: second round

B: PFC CSKA Moskva (RUS)
Can play: Bayern, Benfica, Madrid, Chelsea, Arsenal, APOEL, Barcelona
Qualified as: runners-up, Russia
Last season: UEFA Europa League round of 16
Previous seasons in UEFA Champions League: 5
Previous European Champion Clubs’ Cup best: quarter-finals

C: FC Basel 1893 (SUI)
Can play: Bayern, Inter, Madrid, Chelsea, Arsenal, APOEL, Barcelona
Last season: UEFA Europa League round of 32
Qualified as: champions, Switzerland
Seasons in UEFA Champions League: 3
Previous European Champion Clubs’ Cup best: second group stage

D: Olympique Lyonnais (FRA)
Can play: Bayern, Inter, Benfica, Chelsea, Arsenal, APOEL, Barcelona
Qualified as: third place, France
Last season: round of 16
Previous seasons in UEFA Champions League: 11
Previous European Champion Clubs’ Cup best: semi-finals

E: Bayer 04 Leverkusen (GER)
Can play: Inter, Benfica, Real Madrid, Arsenal, APOEL, Barcelona
Qualified as: runners-up, Germany
Last season: UEFA Europa League round of 16
Previous seasons in UEFA Champions League: 6
Previous European Champion Clubs’ Cup best: runners-up

F: Olympique de Marseille (FRA)
Can play: Bayern, Inter, Benfica, Madrid, Chelsea, APOEL, Barcelona
Qualified as: runners-up, France
Last season: round of 16
Previous seasons in UEFA Champions League: 7
Previous European Champion Clubs’ Cup best: winners (once)

G: FC Zenit St Petersburg (RUS)
Can play: Bayern, Inter, Benfica, Madrid, Chelsea, Arsenal, Barcelona
Qualified as: champions, Russia
Last season: UEFA Europa League round of 16
Previous seasons in UEFA Champions League: 1
Previous European Champion Clubs’ Cup best: group stage

H: AC Milan (ITA)
Can play: Bayern, Benfica, Madrid, Chelsea, Arsenal, APOEL
Qualified as: champions, Italy
Last season: round of 16
Previous seasons in UEFA Champions League: 14
Previous European Champion Clubs’ Cup best: winners (seven times)

 

From: http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/newsid=1732005.html

UEFA Champions League group stage by numbers

The UEFA Champions League group stage provided excitement in abundance, right down to the last whistle on matchday six. A number of records were broken, landmarks reached and eyebrows raised, as UEFA.com recaps.

0: Three clubs failed to earn a point: Villarreal CF, FC Oţelul Galaţi and GNK Dinamo Zagreb. The other 12 to have lost all six group matches are: MŠK Žilina and FK Partizan (2010/11), Maccabi Haifa FC and Debreceni VSC (2009/10), FC Dynamo Kyiv (2007/08), PFC Levski Sofia (2006/07), SK Rapid Wien (2005/06), RSC Anderlecht (2004/05), FC Spartak Moskva and Bayer 04 Leverkusen (2002/03, first and second group stage respectively), Fenerbahçe SK (2001/02, first group stage) and 1. FC Košice (1997/98).

1: APOEL FC caused a stir when they became the first Cypriot team to reach the last 16. Ivan Jovanović’s squad defied expectations by not only emerging from a section containing three recent UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League winners in FC Zenit St Petersburg, FC Porto and FC Shakhtar Donetsk, but by also winning it. Like APOEL, Zenit also qualified in what is their second group stage campaign, while SSC Napoli progressed at the first attempt.

3: Assists provided by FC Barcelona winger Isaac Cuenca in 182 minutes of group stage action. Consider that the 20-year-old did not make his European debut until the closing stages of the holders’ 2-0 defeat of FC Viktoria Plzeň on matchday four and the statistic is all the more impressive.

5: Real Madrid CF became the fifth team to win all six games in a UEFA Champions League group stage, after AC Milan (1992/93), Paris Saint-Germain FC (1994/95), Spartak (1995/96) and Barcelona (2002/03, first group stage).

7: Minutes it took Bafétimbi Gomis to score three goals against Dinamo Zagreb in Olympique Lyonnais’s 7-1 away win on matchday six and break Mike Newell’s 16-year-old record for the fastest hat-trick in the competition. The France striker would add one more, with 20 minutes left, thereby becoming only the seventh player to score four goals in a UEFA Champions League fixture.

10.84: Any latecomers to Mestalla on matchday four would have missed Jonas scoring the second fastest UEFA Champions League goal. The Brazilian international calmly capitalised on a weak clearance from Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno to curl in a welcome confidence boost for Valencia CF as they went on to record a 3-1 Group E triumph.

16: When Ryan Giggs fired past Artur in Manchester United FC’s 1-1 draw with SL Benfica in September, not only did he beat the mark he established last term as the oldest UEFA Champions League scorer − now 37 years and 289 days − but the midfielder became the first man to score in 16 separate seasons of the competition.

20: The number of goals scored by Barcelona, matching the record set by United in 1998/99. Madrid found the net 19 times, equalling Barça’s total in the 1999/2000 first group stage.

22: Goals conceded by Dinamo Zagreb, more than any other team in UEFA Champions League history. The previous highest goals against total was 19, shared by Žilina (2010/11), Debrecen (2009/10), Dynamo (2007/08) and Ferencvárosi TC in 1995/96.

25: Wayne Rooney reached a significant European landmark on matchday three, with the first of his two penalties against Oţelul taking him to 25 UEFA Champions League efforts – more than any other English player has achieved in the competition.

162: Days until the final at the Fußball Arena München on 19 May 2012.

from: http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/newsid=1731760.html

Watch video highlights and news at UEFA website

 

UEFA.com video centre

Top 10 Goals of Champions League 2010-11

Credits to Dp1ay for making the video

The Trophy

The current UEFA Champions League Trophy, which stands 73.5cm tall and weighs 8.5kg, is the sixth overall and dates back to 2006.

A rule introduced in the 1968/69 season allowed the cup to become the property of any club which won the competition five times or three years in a row. That means Real Madrid CF, AFC Ajax, FC Bayern München, AC Milan and, since 2005, Liverpool FC all have an original in their trophy rooms. Under new regulations, any club which wins the trophy three consecutive times or five times in total receives a special mark of recognition, with the club then starting a new cycle from zero.

The trophy that the winning captain will lift at Wembley Stadium in London is the fifth version of the current design. After Real Madrid were allowed to keep the original in 1967, UEFA’s General Secretary, Hans Bangerter, decided to create a new design and called in a local specialist in Berne, Jürg Stadelmann.

“My father Hans and I went along to Herr Bangerter’s office and covered the whole floor with the drawings,” recalled Stadelmann. “He made comments like, ‘The Bulgarians would like the bottom of that. The Spaniards would like that, but the Italians would prefer that and the Germans would go for this bit.’ We put the design together like a jigsaw puzzle. It was a design constituted of many parts yet I like it and I think everyone in football likes it as well.

“I remember that it had to be finished before 28 March,” Stadelmann added, “because I was getting married and taking my wife on a ten-day boat trip to Los Angeles. The trophy took 340 hours to make. I did the finer work, then it was finished off by the engraver, Fred Bänninger. On time, I am glad to say.”

Competition format

The UEFA Champions League, UEFA’s most prestigious club competition, underwent a series of significant changes in 2009/10 following a decision from the UEFA Executive Committee in November 2007. This format remains in place for 2011/12.

The main points were:

• No changes to the format of the main competition, which still involves 32 teams, split into eight groups of four in the group stage, followed by the knockout phase. The eight teams that finish the groups in third place cross over into the UEFA Europa League knockout phase.

• The 2009/10 access list was changed according to the following principles: 22 teams (21 teams + the titleholder) qualify directly for the group stage instead of 16. The three national associations with the highest UEFA coefficient ranking each had three teams gain automatic entry to the group stage, with the countries ranked 4 to 6 in the standings having two automatic qualifiers and the associations ranked 7 to 13 having one.

• Since 2009/10 there have been four qualifying rounds (including a play-off round), played in home-and-away ties, to complete the 32 participants in the UEFA Champions League group stage. There are two qualifying routes; the Champions Route and the League Route.

• Champions Route: The first qualifying round comprises two two-legged ties involving the champions of the countries ranked 50 to 53 in UEFA competition. The winners of those ties progress to the second qualifying round where they are joined by the champions of the 32 countries ranked 17 to 49 (except Liechtenstein). The victorious sides from those 17 ties join the champions from the associations ranked 14 to 16 in the third qualifying round, with the winners of those ten pairings reaching the play-off round. These five play-off ties will take place on a home-and-away basis with the winners qualifying for the UEFA Champions League group stage.

• League Route: The third-placed side from the sixth-ranked member association, plus the runners-up from the associations ranked 7 to 15, start the competition in the third qualifying round. The winners of these five ties progress to the play-off round, where they are joined by the fourth-placed sides from the associations ranked 1 to 3 and the third-placed teams from the associations ranked 4 and 5. The victorious teams from the five play-off ties qualify for the UEFA Champions League group stage.

• Teams from the Champions Route and the League Route cannot meet in UEFA Champions League qualifying.

• The losing team from each of the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round ties will go into the UEFA Europa League play-offs.

• The losing team from each of the UEFA Champions League play-off ties will go into the UEFA Europa League group stage.

• The team who finishes in third position in each of the UEFA Champions League groups goes into the UEFA Europa League Round of 32. The four best third-ranked teams will be seeded for the Round of 32 with the group winners of the UEFA Europa League group stage.

• The matches in the UEFA Champions League first knockout round will be split over four weeks instead of two, using dates reserved for the UEFA club competition in February and March to maximise live match opportunities.

• The final is to be played on a Saturday, with kick-off time at 20.45 CET.

• The UEFA Champions League play-off rounds will be centrally marketed by UEFA in accordance with the concept already used for the group stage.

2012 final: Fußball Arena München

Home to FC Bayern München and TSV 1860 München, the Fußball Arena München will host the 2012 UEFA Champions League final following a decision made by the UEFA Executive Committee in January 2009. The showpiece will take place on Saturday 19 May 2012.

• The Fußball Arena München took less than three years to build from start to finish, and was completed on 30 April 2005. It was conceived following a referendum in October 2001 when 65.8% of Munich’s citizens voted to construct a new arena rather than regenerate the Olympiastadion, venue for the 1972 summer Olympic Games and previous home of Bayern and 1860 München.

• A year to the day after that vote, work commenced on the stadium, including the construction of the unique exterior. The Fußball Arena München’s transparent outer wall is comprised of foil panels which are lit from the inside and can change colour depending on who is playing; red for Bayern, blue for 1860 München and white for Germany.

• The arena opened its doors to competitive football on 5 August 2005 when a full house of 66,000 watched Bayern defeat VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-0. In January 2006, city authorities approved a 3,901 increase in capacity which means the stadium can now house 69,901 supporters. Some of these reside in standing terraces which are created for domestic games by converting 10,400 seats in each of the north and south stands.

• Located on Werner-Heisenberg-Allee – named after famous German atomic physicist and 1932 Nobel Prize for Physics winner Werner Heisenberg – the Fußball Arena München played host to the opening game of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Germany’s 4-2 victory against Costa Rica. A further five matches in the tournament were played at the arena, including France’s 1-0 semi-final win against Portugal.

• While some 106 VIP boxes, 400 media seats and 11,000 parking spaces cater for those attending the game, the players make do with two warm-up rooms, a nursery and four changing rooms – one each for Bayern, 1860 München and their respective opponents.

• The Olympiastadion hosted three European Champion Clubs’ Cup finals. Trevor Francis’s strike earned Nottingham Forest FC victory against Malmö FF in 1979 and there was also only one goal in it 24 years later when Olympique de Marseille beat AC Milan to claim the inaugural UEFA Champions League title. In 1997 two Karl-Heinz Riedle efforts set BV Borussia Dortmund on course for a 3-1 win against Juventus.

From: http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/season=2012/final/index.html

2007-to date: A new era begins

A new era began for UEFA in January 2007, when Frenchman Michel Platini, one of the world’s top players from the 1980s, was elected as UEFA president at the XXXI Ordinary UEFA Congress in Dusseldorf. Lennart Johansson was named Honorary UEFA president after 17 years of outstanding service to European football.

Michel Platini came to the UEFA presidency after a magnificent career as a player with AS Nancy-Lorraine, AS Saint-Etienne and Juventus at club level – plus three European Footballer of the Year awards, and a proud record of 72 appearances and 41 goals at international level with France – lifting the UEFA European Championship trophy as captain on home soil in 1984. He then served as France’s national-team coach from 1988 to 1992, and made a smooth transition to the role of football politician and administrator, occupying the key post of co-president of the 1998 FIFA World Cup organising committee for the tournament in his home country.

Developments at UEFA and within the European game continued apace. In April 2007, UEFA’s Executive Committee decided to award the UEFA EURO 2012 final round to Poland and Ukraine. The decision meant that joint hosts would be staging a EURO final round for the third time, after Belgium and the Netherlands in 2000, and Austria and Switzerland in 2008.

At the tenth extraordinary UEFA Congress in Zurich in May 2007, statutory amendments were made which, among other things, led to the creation of a Professional Football Strategic Council within UEFA, comprising UEFA’s vice-presidents and representatives of the European clubs, leagues and players. In addition, the title of the head of UEFA’s administration reverted back to general secretary. On 1 June 2007, David Taylor, the former chief executive of the Scottish Football Association, took over as UEFA’s new general secretary to lead the organisation into a fascinating future. Gianni Infantino was named as deputy general Secretary to Mr Taylor. Together with a loyal and strong administration, the team of leaders has been patiently steering UEFA’s course for the coming years.

Mr Platini’s presidency began with a call at the Extraordinary Congress in Zurich in May for an end to the strife that has affected football’s health. The creation of a Professional Football Strategy Council was described by Mr Platini as “a crucial step, with an eye to gathering together all football families. I call officially on the major and important clubs in European football to join together with all the other clubs to engage in a fruitful, productive and democratic dialogue with the other members of the European football family,” he said. “UEFA’s door is wide open – join us and, I promise you, you will not be disappointed.”

The subsequent formation of the European Club Association (ECA) and the signing in January 2008 of a Memorandum of Understanding between the new body – representing the interests of clubs at European level – and UEFA, the governing body of European football, paved the way for harmony to return to football between the governing bodies and the clubs. As part of the Memorandum of Understanding, it was agreed to distribute every four years an amount from the UEFA European Championship to national associations for them to pass on to their clubs who have contributed to the successful staging of a European Championship. In the autumn of 2007, a keynote Memorandum of Understanding was also signed with the European division of the players’ union FIFPro as dialogue bore encouraging fruit.

The invaluable dialogue between UEFA and football’s stakeholders also resulted in changes to the formats of UEFA’s club competitions, approved by the UEFA Executive Committee in November. Between 2009 and 2012, 22 sides will qualify directly for the 32-team UEFA Champions League group stage – the third-placed clubs from the associations ranked between 1 and 3 in the ranking list, and the champions of countries ranked from 10 to 12 are added – instead of the previous 16, and the UEFA Champions League final will be played on a Saturday from 2010. For the 2009/10 season, the venerable UEFA Cup was replaced after 37 years by the UEFA Europa League, featuring a 48-team group stage, and breathing new sporting and commercial life into European club football’s second competition.

On the national-team front, the UEFA EURO 2008 final round in Austria and Switzerland was an outstanding success in commercial and sporting terms. Moreover, even as preparatory work for the 2008 football festival reached boiling point, UEFA was looking even further ahead – in the direction of eastern Europe, to be precise – with the Executive Committee choosing Poland and Ukraine as hosts of UEFA EURO 2012. In September 2008, the EURO final-round field was increased by UEFA’s Executive Committee from 16 to 24 for the 2016 event, in what is seen as a natural development for the popular national-team game. In May 2010, France was chosen by the UEFA Executive Committee to be the host of UEFA EURO 2016.

UEFA’s tireless campaigning continues on behalf of various causes for the sake of football’s well-being. A “zero tolerance” policy is being pursued against violence and racism in particular. Social responsibility is no idle phrase at UEFA. Crucial support is being given to the Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) network, and UEFA backing for land-mine victims was the focal point of work with the International Committee of the Red Cross at UEFA EURO 2008. Support has been forthcoming as well for, among others, football associations affected by natural disasters, homeless players, disabled players and footballers with learning difficulties, as well as youngsters in regions affected by hostilities, and the 53 member associations are continuing to benefit fully from the ambitious HatTrick programme.

The list of ongoing work stretches into the future. Intensive political and diplomatic dialogue with the European Union continues in a variety of areas. UEFA is also listening to the fans, and a first-ever meeting in 2007 between supporter groups and the European body came about because UEFA wants to get closer to the fans who are the game’s lifeblood. The battle against doping – in and out-of-competition blood testing was carried out at UEFA EURO 2008 for the first time – corruption and illegal betting in football goes on unabated, with the latter campaign leading to the strengthening of the UEFA Betting and Fraud Detection System in 2009, with more than 29,000 matches now checked each season. In September 2009 UEFA’s Executive Committee approved a Financial Fair Play concept to improve the financial fairness in European competitions, as well as the long-term stability of European club football. In the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, two additional assistant referees are being deployed in an experiment to look at ways of helping referees’ decision-making. The top referees of the future are now being given expert guidance at UEFA’s Centre of Refereeing Excellence (CORE) in Nyon, which was launched in the summer of 2010.

The Respect campaign, which was initiated by Michel Platini before the start of the 2008 UEFA European Championship final round, is aimed at encouraging mutual respect between players, coaches, officials and fans, and was a cornerstone of the tournament. Its widespread exposure throughout host cities contributed greatly to the convivial and joyful atmosphere both on and off the pitch, as well as inside and outside stadiums across Austria and Switzerland. As a consequence of the positive reaction to the campaign, the Respect initiative has been extended to all UEFA competitions and events, and is also being spread by the football family at national and local levels. UEFA’s view is that there must be respect for the difference and diversity which enriches Europe, with a specific focus on countering racism, violence, xenophobia and homophobia, as well as giving reinforced backing to our partners who promote sport for the disabled.

In September 2009, the UEFA Executive Committee reviewed the structure of UEFA’s marketing and commercial operations and approved the creation of a new company wholly owned by European football’s governing body. The new company – UEFA Events SA – will be responsible for UEFA’s business and commercial operations. David Taylor was appointed as chief executive of the new company as of 1 October 2009, and UEFA deputy general secretary Gianni Infantino was appointed as UEFA general secretary. He took up this role on the same date.

UEFA works according to eleven key values – appropriately, the same number as a football team – that should serve as the basis for the body’s activities and dialogue, on behalf of European football, with the political, economic, social and sporting world. Michel Platini presented the eleven key values in his address at the XXXIII Ordinary UEFA Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark, in March 2009. The eleven values cover the landscape of UEFA’s activities – from unity and leadership, good governance and autonomy to youth protection and education, sporting integrity and financial fair play – with the promise that football will always come first in all that UEFA does.

On 22 March 2011, at the XXXV Ordinary UEFA Congress in Paris, Michel Platini was re-elected by acclamation for a second four-year term. He listed the fight against corruption, financial fair play, and the need to protect football’s essential values for future generations as key priorities for the coming period.

After more than five decades of existence, UEFA’s voice continues to ring loud, proud and clear – with football’s well-being at the heart of its work throughout the game.

From: http://www.uefa.com/uefa/aboutuefa/organisation/history/chapter=5/index.html

2000-2007: Moving into the future

From the start of the 1990s, European football underwent a series of dramatic changes. The game became more commercially-oriented, and there were considerable developments in political, social and legal terms. Football was now not only an important social phenomenon – the game had become extremely big business, with huge sums of money at stake, and many stakeholders and interest groups involved.

As European football’s governing body, UEFA had to meet these various changes and developments head on. The organisation began to gradually turn itself from an administrative body into a modern business concern with a corporate philosophy – conducting itself more like a business, while at the same time protecting the integrity of the sport and balancing all of the divergent elements with an interest in football.

From 1987 onwards, UEFA experienced dramatic growth in terms of staff and budget. There were also the effects, particularly from a legal point of view, of a Europe without borders; TV rights matters and the rise of more sophisticated and aggressive marketing techniques; football clubs being quoted on the stock market; increasing involvement of political bodies in football; the growing influence and power of Europe’s leading football clubs. Football’s commercial growth, as well as the resultant legal and political challenges confronting the organisation, increased the pressure on UEFA to adapt without delay and ask itself how it wished to exist within the game’s new realities. One decision was for the organisation to move to the western Swiss town of Nyon in 1995 after three decades based in the Swiss federal capital, Berne, and open a new headquarters – the House of European Football – on the banks of Lake Geneva in autumn 1999.

In December 1999, the UEFA Executive Committee decided to go ahead with the revamping of European football’s governing body. The administrative set-up underwent an overhaul, new priorities were set, and UEFA’s administrative secretariat, renamed the UEFA Administration, was now led by a chief executive, Gerhard Aigner, who had been general secretary since 1989. Seven divisions were set up, each dealing with specific areas of football and UEFA’s daily affairs. The administration continued to work alongside UEFA’s committees and expert panels dealing with every fact of modern-day football.

Around this time, it was also recognised that the clubs and professional leagues should be given greater representation within UEFA’s activities. UEFA pursued an intensification of dialogue with the top clubs and leagues, while maintaining its long-standing bond with the national associations. It was evident that to maintain its credibility, in both sporting and commercial terms, UEFA had to represent the entire spectrum of the football family – and this had to include the elite clubs, who generate considerable revenue through their participation in the major European competitions. The launching of the European Club Forum in summer 2002 led to intensified dialogue between UEFA and Europe’s major clubs, just over 100 of whom were represented in the forum.

Lars-Christer Olsson’s appointment as UEFA chief executive to replace the retiring Gerhard Aigner meant that two Swedes were at UEFA’s helm from the start of 2004. Lennart Johansson was elected for a fourth term of office as UEFA president at the Stockholm Congress in April 2002, after 12 eventful years which had seen UEFA change into a modern business organisation in tune with the times. The Scandinavian duo were in place to lead UEFA through its 50th anniversary celebrations in 2004, in which a host of events and special activities took place in a special year for the European football community.

The following period saw UEFA continue to pursue its quest for greater legal certainty for sport and the recognition of sport’s specific nature within the framework of future European Union legislation, to ensure sport’s well-being in the future. Dialogue with the EU focused on concrete issues facing sport and on how the EU institutions, the EU member states and the European football authorities could provide a comprehensive and robust legal framework for European sport in general and football in particular.

Within UEFA, a fully-owned affiliated company, UEFA Euro 2008 SA, was set up to implement the organisation of UEFA EURO 2008 in Austria and Switzerland. The fight against anti-doping was stepped up, with a new anti-doping unit created within the UEFA administration, and in-and-out of competition tests increased across the full palette of UEFA’s competitions.

In the club competitions, the UEFA Champions League – Europe’s leading club competition, and previously the European Champion Clubs’ Cup – celebrated its 50th anniversary and continued to prove an outstanding sporting and commercial attraction, with media and marketing successes going hand-in-hand with memorable football featuring the world’s top players. The format introduced for the 2003/04 season – one group stage and a knockout phase beginning with 16 teams – remained in place. At the same time, work to enhance the UEFA Cup’s image was ongoing, with the introduction of a 40-team group stage a key step forward. On the national-team scene, UEFA EURO 2004 in Portugal broke records across the board, and the glorious unpredictability of football was confirmed when the outsiders Greece took the title.

The UEFA club licensing system was in place in time for the 2004/05 season, with the aim being to provide a framework for clubs to run themselves more efficiently. The system aims to improve quality standards in European football, including improvement of clubs’ economic and financial capabilities, through the installation of appropriate financial tools, as well as the adaptation of their sporting, administrative and legal infrastructures to meet UEFA’s requirements.

UEFA also undertook untiring campaign work in various social and humanitarian areas. It joined with the pan-European Football Against Racism in Europe network in a concerted drive to eliminate racism and intolerance from football both on and off the pitch. Partnerships were forged with other specific bodies as UEFA looked to support the belief that football could indeed be used a force to benefit society.

As football eased its way further into the new millennium, the authorities began looking at ways of enabling the game to be played on artificial playing surfaces at the highest level. Following pilot studies, UEFA decided in November 2004 that matches in its competitions could be played on approved artificial turf from the 2005/06 season.

In the new millenium, UEFA kept pace with the rapid development of new communications outlets with the launching in 2001 of a new subsidiary company dealing with new communications, UEFA New Media – eventually to be renamed UEFA Media Technologies SA – and the establishing of UEFA.com, viewed by many as the most comprehensive football website in the world.

Lennart Johansson, who oversaw the body’s development as UEFA president from 1990 into the new millennium, explained UEFA’s philosophy at the time: “It is quite normal for UEFA as a whole to endow itself with modern organisational structures able to respond to current and future [market] demands. It is indeed only with expertise, efficiency and modern successful management at all levels that UEFA can continue to promote and further develop the duality of solidarity and commercialisation for the good of football.”

 

From: http://www.uefa.com/uefa/aboutuefa/organisation/history/chapter=4/index.html