A Fitting finale to an Exciting championship

The recently concluded Euro 2008 championships in Switzerland were a resounding success by all accounts. If it was a spectator’s delight watching the scintillating games, it was an organizational and logistical success from the administrator’s point of view as well. The Swiss Defence Minister Samuel Schmid declared on Sunday that "It's been a mega event. The third-biggest sporting event in the world has been organized with no problems. In Switzerland we've had fewer traffic bottlenecks, less road congestion and even the crime rate dropped in some places."

There was also praise all round that the event has been a success in the ecological sense. In environmentally conscious Europe, these things count a lot and any event is viewed for not only the show it has to offer but the way in which it handles the sensitive environmental issues or the “green” things. Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer said,” "This was a green European Championships because much of the traffic - long distance and in the cities - was carried by public transport, The negative scenarios that had been announced by certain prophets of doom, that city centers would be destroyed, that there would be hooligans all over the place that the public parks would be ruined. All sorts of fears and anxieties had been expressed, but nothing like that happened."

Of course not everything was ideal in the sense that the weather played spoilsport more than once. There was a power cut during the Germany- Turkey semi final. And both the hosts, Switzerland and Austria were knocked out early leading to the tournament having more viewer ship out side rather than in the home countries. The interesting fact about the championship was the record audience who were glued on to their TV’s each day. And considering the fact that many people in Asia stayed up the night to watch the games is an encouraging fact for anyone who is interested in popularizing the game.

The delightful show of skill and style on display added to the charm of the tournament. And very few matches were decided on penalties leading to what many called a tournament that did not “go to the death”. Plus, the crowd behavior was good and the fan violence was absent. The very sight of over a hundred thousand Dutch fans passing peacefully through the city of Bern was a heart warming sight. And as the fans chanted, “As a finishing touch, God created the Dutch”, it was for a while a totally Dutch affair until their surprise loss in the semi-finals.
There were also some sensible refereeing decisions though the gamesmanship did not always translate into sportsmanship. As the clock ticks towards the next Euro championship in Poland and Ukraine amid concerns from critics about the viability of the games being held there, it is worth noting that UEFA is rich enough to take these countries into their sponsorship, if needed.


As the curtains came down on the Euro 2008 and it was next time whoever (depending on which side you were supporting), one could not but marvel at the Spaniards and the Germans for their incredible run throughout the tournament. If the absence of Ballack was a dampener for the Germans, the Golden Boot that went to Hernandez was more than enough to see Spain through. All in all, it was an extravaganza to remember and more so for the surprise winners Spain. The doubts on the smooth conduct of the Euro 2008 were dispelled and this meant that the game emerged stronger after the show was over and it’s over to the next edition.