Preparations for EURO 2016 are well under way, with just 99 days to go until the tournament kicks off in Paris on June 10.
EURO 2016 SAS president Jacques Lambert and French Football Federation (FFF) president Noël Le Graët gathered at a press conference yesterday in Paris to mark countdown, as well as reveal a few prized details about the tournament.
“Everything is ready,” said Mr Le Graët, who described the tournament’s objective as being to “spread happiness through the game.”
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As such, Mr Le Graët provided updates on both the Horizon Bleu and Héritage projects, which are benefiting from significant funding in order to help boost football’s grassroots.
Mr Lambert, meanwhile, spoke about the importance of security during the tournament. “I will not hide that it represents our main concern,” he said. “We are in charge of this event – the level of risk is what it is – so we are handling it with professionalism and composure.”
Mr Lambert stressed “the leading role played by the state”. He added: “We will follow their path along with the decisions they take.” The event organisers are responsible for security within the competition’s official sites and will deploy 900 security agents per match, 30% more than is routine, with around 10,000 mobilised in total.
“Even if the context has evolved, the aim is still the same – to have a beautiful party,” said Mr Braillard.
Indeed it is an event which remains in high demand, with 16 million requests made for the 2 million tickets already sold. The resale platform opens on 9 March.
Each of the team’s EURO base camps was also confirmed at the press conference:
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