Full stadiums, great games and more goals as never before at a women’s European Championship: The tournament in Switzerland is a complete success. UEFA President Aleksander Čefin could sunbathe in success these days. But the head of the European Football Association is not a face of this tournament. The Slovenian was only seen in the stands for one of the 30 games so far.
The 57-year-old is of course not yet a case for a missing person search on the TV show “File number XY … unresolved”. But a little more presence was already expected from Čeferer at the tournament in Switzerland, who is also the seat of the UEFA. But since his attendance of the official opening game between Switzerland and Norway (1: 2) on July 2, the leader of the association has not been seen in the stadiums. And he didn’t give interviews either.
The strange thing about it: At the men’s European Championship in Germany last year, Čefer was much more present, and various games looked live. This now inevitably gives the impression that the UEFA president does not provide the same meaning to the women’s tournament.
Only two out of 31 games on site: “It was planned from the start”
But this is not the case, as the UEFA explains when asked about Sportschau. The Čefere schedule has only a “concentrated presence in the key moments”, but not possible during the completely EM, it is said. However, the president was involved behind the scenes throughout the tournament, according to UEFA.
It was planned from the start that Čefer will only personally take part in the opening game and the final, the association said. Means: On Sunday (6 p.m., in the ticker and in the audio stream at Sportschau.de) the Slovenian will be on site. For the second time in four weeks.
Tournament director Cellar responsible for answers
The 56-year-old may also draw his conclusion to the European Championship. To date, it is tournament director Doris Keller the voice of this final round. In an interview with the Swiss Radio (SRF), she already took a positive balance in an interview. “Everything we have planned. We said to ourselves that we want to organize a summer party for Switzerland and the foreign guests. I think we have achieved this with the mood in the stadiums, but also with the fan marches in the cities. We have exceeded a lot of what we wanted to achieve,” said the 53-year-old.
In addition to the almost smooth administrative course of the football spectacle and the giant euphoria in Switzerland: 623,088 fans, the previous European Championship viewer record (574.865) was exceeded particularly gratifying for them. And so far 104 hit hits have also meant a final round.
Tournament director Doris Keller.
“Everything came together: the performance of the Swiss and generally the great football that is played. Everything came out as we dreamed of,” said Keller. She explicitly praised the interaction of everyone involved: “All parties, UEFA, the Host Cities, the Bund and we worked great, so that we could achieve it.”
Čefer becomes a task as UEFA representative unadorned
As an organizer of the spectacle, the European Football Association can knock itself on the shoulders. His approach to making women’s football more visible has risen in Switzerland. It is all the more regrettable that Čefer was shining through absence at least in the stadiums during the final round. Because as President, he is not only the face of the UEFA, but also the representative of the tournament editor. At this European Championship, the 56-year-old apparently only came to …