An excellent vintage
The 1996/97 UEFA Champions League
promises to be an excellent vintage, jud
ging by the excitement of the first two
match days. In the second set of
matches, most of the favourites justified
their billing, and some of them performed
in a brilliant manner by emerging victo
rious away from home. Nevertheless,
there were still some surprises, and the
charm of the competition remains intact.
Although certain sides have already esta
blished themselves at the top of their
group, they will not be resting on their lau
rels. The situation could change again just
as quickly in this UEFA Champions
League campaign, because the teams
involved are well-matched and games are
decided on the fields, not beforehand. A
number of prestigious clubs have found
out that, while they may inspire respect,
their list of honours means very little to
opponents who seem modest on paper,
but who in reality are extremely hard te
beat. The imbalance in stength - which
made it virtually impossible to create a
sensation only a few years ago - has now
disappeared, and matches are now being
decided on one incident alone.
Football enthusiasts have welcomed this
development, and large attendances and
TV viewing figures prove that the public
has never before been treated to such
high-quality entertainment, allied to a sus
pense that is worthy of a classic
Flitchcock film. Such top-class football is
setting a wonderful example to young
sters, and the lessons they are learning
will stand them in good stead in all walks
of life. They can see the benefits of hard
work, and are being taught that accepting
defeat makes eventual victories all the
more enjoyable. It is precisely this mixture
of ingredients that makes the UEFA
Champions League such a popular event.
For some teams, the third match day will
be the turning point. Their results in the
opening two matches show that they
cannot afford to slip up this evening.
As for those sides who have been more
fortunate in the competition's early sta
ges, they do not yet have a sufficient
number of points to sit back and take
things easy. We therefore have an ideal
setting for the completion of the first half
of the group programme, and we will no
doubt see some exceptional performan
ces and interesting results.
In my capacity as President of UEFA, I am
convinced that all of the players, officials,
media representatives and spectators will
continue to contribute to the glowing
reputation of the UEFA Champions
League. I hope that they continue to deri
ve as much pleasure in the competition
as they have done up to now, to the
appeal of football - The world's Number
One Sport!
Lennart Johansson
President of UEFA
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