UEFA President Michel Platini has once again called the Euro 2012 European Football Championship in Ukraine and Poland a "resounding success."
“This Euro, the first in the east, has been a resounding success, a
real triumph. Poland and Ukraine showed the whole world that they can
organize this type of event and that they needn’t have any concerns.
They can be proud of the work they’ve done, their enthusiasm and the
final results. I’m proud of them, anyway,” Platini said answering the
questions from UEFA.com users.
“There were lots of marvelous moments during Euro 2012, but the best
moment for me personally was without doubt when the referee whistled to
kick off the opening match. That signified that we were finally getting
down to what mattered – the football – after five years of intense work
and preparation. I knew it was the kick-off of a unique event,” the UEFA
president said.
He noted the biggest progress of the football played in this Euro was the introduction of the system of five referees.
“That was the principal innovation on the pitch compared to previous
Euro editions and the system of five referees was a real plus in terms
of the football that got played: it helped get rid of simulation in the
area and also helped significantly reduce shirt-pulling during set
pieces. In the end, there were more goals and, even more significantly,
more headed goals in this EURO than in other big international
competitions. That’s no coincidence. The system of five referees acts as
a deterrent and the quality of football benefits from that,” Platini
said.
