By David Gold
April 13 – UEFA President Michel Platini has handed over the Europa League trophy to the Mayor of Bucharest, the host city for the final of the competition, which takes place in just under a month’s time.
Platini (pictured right) received the trophy from a four man delegation from the reigning holders of the title, Portugal’s FC Porto, before handing it to Sorin Oprescu (left).
Among the Porto delegation was their Romanian defender Cristian Săpunaru, and the presentation ceremony was the biggest event to have taken place to date at the new National Arena Bucharest, which staged its first match last September.
The Europa League final will take place at the stadium on May 9, with the trophy to return to the Iberian Peninsula as three Spanish sides – Athletic Bilbao, Valencia, Atlético Madrid – and one Portuguese team, Sporting Lisbon, contest the tournament’s semi-finals.
Basque outfit Athletic Bilbao are favourites after a stunning performance earlier in the competition to knock out Manchester United, but Marcelo Bielsa’s team – who have also seen off Paris St Germain and Schalke among others – will have a tricky opponent to negotiate in Sporting, who beat Manchester City and Metalist Kharkiv in the last two rounds on their way to the last four.
Valencia and Atlético Madrid will contest the other semi-final, with both teams having won the trophy in recent years; Los Che in 2004 and the Rojiblancos in 2010.
Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Platini said that he was impressed by the National Arena Bucharest.
“I have to congratulate the mayor of Bucharest and all those who contributed to building this stadium,” he said, before praising “the passion and enthusiasm of the Bucharest people and the Romanians”.
“I am sure it was an excellent idea to have this final in Bucharest and we are happy to be here,” Platini added.
Bucharest was awarded the final in 2009, and Oprescu thanked Platini and pledged to “continue our efforts for a perfect final until all our guests arrive in Bucharest”.
“Romanians know how to welcome their guests – teams, officials, fans, tourists – and this final between two Latin teams in a Latin country will represent an immense joy for all Bucharest people,” he said.
Romanian Football Federation (FRF) President Mircea Sandu (pictured below), who was also praised by Oprescu, said: “Having this stadium and this final is an encouraging sign for Romanian football.
“It will bring more than 30,000 visitors in less than a month, and all those who offer services in the city should understand what a final like this means.”
Final ambassador Miodrag Belodedici, who was part of the Steaua Bucharest team which stunned Europe when it beat Barcelona in Seville in the European Cup final in 1985, said: “All the semi-finalists have played extraordinarily well so far, they proved their quality, so I don’t see any favourites.”
The Europa League trophy will now take a tour around Bucharest, giving as many people as possible the chance to see the trophy before the May 9 showpiece.
It will be a significant opportunity for Romania to show they are capable of staging major football events.
Last year the country was linked with a joint bid alongside Bulgaria for the European Championships in 2020.
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