Euro-2008 preparations in full swing
Published 29 February, 2008, 20:18
There are 100 days to go before Euro-2008 kicks off with the opening match between Switzerland and Czech Republic on June 7. Tournament organizers say things are going as expected, but a huge amount of logistical work is still to be done.
Euro 2008 plans are well on track with all milestones being fulfilled. Tournament director Martin Kallen says the final 100 days are going to be a pleasure after 3 years of preparations.
However, some work is still to be done. Including, grass pitches to be laid down in Berne and Salzburg in place of current artificial turfs.
And Euro-2008 winners will be awarded a new trophy. The silver base of the cup was enlarged to make it stable and a small figure juggling a ball on the back of the previous trophy was removed.
As far as tickets are concerned Kallen said they were being printed at an unnamed location and would only be sent out to fans at the beginning of May to try to reduce possible black-markets sales.
The tickets demand was really high. More than 8.7 million requests were placed for the initial batch of 350,000 tickets released to the public last March, before fans even knew which teams would qualify for the finals
And Euro organizers are ready to entertain the crowd.
The two official mascots for the tournament were named after a vote from the public. So these guys Trix and Flix will be high profile figures during the competition.
The official song, titled ‘Like a superstar’, was recorded by reggae singer Shaggy. The Jamacian musician hopes to see at least some games this June.
As for the Russian side they start their campaign on June 10 against Spain in Innsburck.
The bookmakers currently aren't giving Guus Hiddink’s men much of a chance at the tournament.
But Russia have already surprised everyone by qualifying to the finals and might cause some more upsets at this fabulous festival of football.
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