The rising stars were everywhere to be seen. On the monitors and screens in the Mercedes-Benz arena an animation played out, in which the black and white patches of a football peeled away to reveal stars. The European U19 Championship will be a stage for the stars of tomorrow. From 11th to 24th July the sides will fight it out in Baden-Württemberg for the continental title. On Tuesday, it was decided who would face who and the draw has pitted the Germany U19s against Italy, Portugal and Austria in group A. Group B is comprised of Croatia, the Netherlands, France and England.
The head of the draw was Dr. Rainer Koch, DFB vice-president. In his speech he welcomed the guests and participants and then assisted with the draw. He praised the advanced preparation for the tournament and underlined its importance. In an interview with DFB.de Dr. Rainer Koch spoke to Ronny Zimmermann about the draw, the possible level of sporting quality and the tournament’s opening match.
DFB.de: Dr. Koch, the European U19 EURO draw has been a prelude to the beginning of the European U19 Championship on 11th July. How would you sum up the event?
Dr. Rainer Koch: The way the draw went from a sporting and organisational point of view has left us very satisfied. We have shown ourselves tob e outstanding hosts a taste of what they can look forward to in the U19 EURO in Baden-Württemberg. We will experience a wonderful festival of football.
DFB.de: There have already been 60,000 tickets sold for the tournament. What sort of atmosphere are you expecting in the stadiums for the championship?
Koch: I am sure that the enthusiasm for both the Germany team and the other teams will be reflected in the stadiums. Through different campaigns in schools we should have a lot of children and young people in the arenas which is amazing. The spectators will get the chance to see players that they will definitely see in future World Cups.
DFB.de: What do you think the standard of football will be like?
Koch: The standard will be very high. Out of the leading teams only Spain failed to qualify. All of the other main footballing nations will be involved. There will be no weak opponents in the competition. With this in mind, Germany will have their work cut out for them in group A.
The rising stars were everywhere to be seen. On the monitors and screens in the Mercedes-Benz arena an animation played out, in which the black and white patches of a football peeled away to reveal stars. The European U19 Championship will be a stage for the stars of tomorrow. From 11th to 24th July the sides will fight it out in Baden-Württemberg for the continental title. On Tuesday, it was decided who would face who and the draw has pitted the Germany U19s against Italy, Portugal and Austria in group A. Group B is comprised of Croatia, the Netherlands, France and England.
The head of the draw was Dr. Rainer Koch, DFB vice-president. In his speech he welcomed the guests and participants and then assisted with the draw. He praised the advanced preparation for the tournament and underlined its importance. In an interview with DFB.de Dr. Rainer Koch spoke to Ronny Zimmermann about the draw, the possible level of sporting quality and the tournament’s opening match.
DFB.de: Dr. Koch, the European U19 EURO draw has been a prelude to the beginning of the European U19 Championship on 11th July. How would you sum up the event?
Dr. Rainer Koch: The way the draw went from a sporting and organisational point of view has left us very satisfied. We have shown ourselves tob e outstanding hosts a taste of what they can look forward to in the U19 EURO in Baden-Württemberg. We will experience a wonderful festival of football.
DFB.de: There have already been 60,000 tickets sold for the tournament. What sort of atmosphere are you expecting in the stadiums for the championship?
Koch: I am sure that the enthusiasm for both the Germany team and the other teams will be reflected in the stadiums. Through different campaigns in schools we should have a lot of children and young people in the arenas which is amazing. The spectators will get the chance to see players that they will definitely see in future World Cups.
DFB.de: What do you think the standard of football will be like?
Koch: The standard will be very high. Out of the leading teams only Spain failed to qualify. All of the other main footballing nations will be involved. There will be no weak opponents in the competition. With this in mind, Germany will have their work cut out for them in group A.
DFB.de: Guido Streichsbier’s young German talents will face off against Italy, Portugal and Austria. The opening fixture against the Italy youth side on the 11th July will definitely be a highlight. How do you see that match going?
Koch: It will be a sensational match. Germany versus Italy is usually a classic at junior level as well. You don’t always see a tournament opener as great as that. It was a courageous decision when we decided to stage the European U19 championship opener in Stuttgart’s arena. You have to be sure that a youth match can fill the stadium and since the draw I have been more optimistic that we can manage that. There is a lot of enthusiasm surrounding the European U19 Championship.
