January 23 – Fresh details of next month’s draw in Nice for the first ever 24-team European Championship finals are expected to be revealed on Friday after UEFA complete its first executive committee meeting of the year at its Swiss headquarters.
The tournament match schedule for 2016 in France is also on the agenda on what, on paper at least, is an otherwise low-key session that began today and concludes at lunchtime tomorrow.
Many of Europe’s less heralded countries will be given a greater chance than ever to qualify for the finals due to a new format that sees teams placed into nine groups of five and six teams, with both group winners and runners up qualifying automatically as well as the best third-placed side.
Additionally, the eight remaining third-placed sides will all be given a two-legged playoff chance of reaching the finals, a format critics say will weaken the tournament in quality but which will be a huge boost to the traditional also-rans.
UEFA president Michel Platini and 2016 organising committee chairman Jacques Lambert are both expected to attend the post-exco press conference at which Platini seems likely to be quizzed on a number of non-exco topics, not least his views on compatriot Jerome Champagne’s announcement this week that he would be standing for FIFA president next year.
Platini insists he won’t take a decision on his own position until after this year’s World Cup but there are suggestions that if Champagne stands, it could split the European vote and work against Platini.
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