By Andrew Warshaw
June 19 – UEFA President Michel Platini insists the next European Championship finals in France will not suffer from a drop in quality when the tournament expands to 24 teams – and says Euro 2012 has been one of the best ever, from a footballing standpoint at least.
Platini (pictured above) takes the view – not shared by everybody – that adding eight more teams to the current 16 will enhance the Championships by giving middle-ranked nations a chance rather than weaken the standard of play.
“Twenty-four is okay…eight good teams to add,” Platini was reported as saying yesterday, looking ahead to France 2016.
“It’s not a problem of quality.”
“It’s very important for the [additional] countries that qualify.
“It is good for the national associations and their development.
“The sponsors are present because they are proud to participate.”
Up to yesterday evening, the Euro 2012 group stage did not feature a single goalless draw and Platini believes Poland and Ukraine have “already won the European Championship” in terms of legacy.
Both host countries, he said, could be proud of what they had achieved despite so many infrastructure problems leading up to the biggest sporting event to be staged in Eastern Europe since the fall of the Berlin Wall.
“It’s not been perfect but I’m very, very happy,” Platini said.
“Poland and Ukraine have delivered.
“People [of Poland and Ukraine] are saying thanks that you had confidence and trust in us.”
With the group stage reaching its climax, Platini hailed the general ambiance inside the grounds.
“The atmosphere in the stadiums has been 99.9 per cent fantastic,” he said, citing instances of discrimination as the only negative.
Croatia’s Football Federation (HNS) is facing a UEFA charge for racist chants by the national team’s fans in the match against Italy in Poznań on Thursday (June 14).
“How can you manage stupid people?” Platini said.
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