Let the entertainment continue!
The opening matches in the 1996/97
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE brought
their fair share of emotions and surpri
ses. There were some unexpected
results, and this provided ample proof
that the latest competition will be as
closely contested as ever. Each of the
16 teams in the four groups is capable
of high-quality performance. In addition,
certain clubs who had not made the
best start to their domestic league pro
gramme were able to lift themselves, as
they were no doubt inspired by the
importance and appeal of UEFA's
flagship club competition. Prestigious
clubs learned the hard way that there
are no easy opponents nowadays. As
for the spectators and footbal fans, I
am sure that no one would want to
miss a single UEFA CHAMPIONS
LEAGUE evening from now on!
It must be said that the 24 goals scored
in the eight opening matches augur well
for the forthcoming stages of the com
petition, and wil have an excellent
advertising impact as far as the UEFA
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE is concerned.
At a time when petty calculations and
negative tactics are putting the future of
certain popular sports at risk, football is
continuing to prove the most attractive
proposition for the sporting public. This
stems from the fact that football is
never boring, especially when it is play
ed by some of the world's best players.
I hope we see another flood of goals
tonight, on the second match day.
The first-round results have already
produced provisional rankings. This
evening, the winners will be looking to
maintain their promising start, while
those who dropped points will doubt
less be searching for a result which will
put them back into the reckoning. This
will inevitably lead to hard-fought
encounters, much to the great satisfac
tion and joy of football enthusiasts, the
vast majority of whom wish to see
attacking, positive play, rather than fear
and defensive attitudes.
As President of the European Football
Union, I again wish all the players, offi
cials, representatives of the mass
media and, above all, the hundreds of
thousands of spectators in the stadia
and the million of TV viewers an enjoy
able football evening. And may we con
tinue to have fun!
Lennart Johansson
President of UEFA
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