Recently, Alexander Severin, President of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), accepted an exclusive interview with a reporter from Xinhua News Agency, and had an in-depth exchange of views on a number of topics, including this year's European Championships, the development of soccer in China, the cooperation between Chinese and European soccer, and the enthusiasm of Chinese fans.
Evaluating this year's European Championships
Severin spoke highly of this year's European Championships, calling it "probably the best ever". He noted that soccer managed to bring people together during the tournament, fans enjoyed themselves and there were no major incidents. At the same time, the strongest teams played great matches and the weather had its ups and downs, but overall it was a very successful European Championships.
Thoughts on the team's performance
Severin made special mention of Spain's impressive performance in the tournament. At the same time, he also recognized the steady play of traditional powerhouses such as France, England and Germany, but noted that the Spanish team performed better. In addition, he also praised the outstanding performance of non-traditional teams such as Slovakia and Georgia, as well as his home country Slovenia.
Advice to Chinese Football
Talking about Chinese soccer, Severin emphasized the key to the development of Chinese soccer lies in doing its own thing, digging up and cultivating young players. He suggested that the CFA should consider the strength of foreign aiders when introducing them and avoid introducing players who can't get a foothold in the European leagues so as to fully develop China's own soccer. At the same time, he expressed his willingness to cooperate with Chinese soccer and hoped to jointly cultivate Chinese stars who can play in the Champions League.
Sino-European Football Cooperation
Severin expressed optimism about the prospect of Sino-European soccer cooperation. He pointed out that China is a big country with many sports talents, and has achieved excellent results in many programs such as the Olympic Games. Although Chinese soccer is relatively backward at present, UEFA is willing to provide help and support to jointly promote the development of Chinese soccer. He particularly mentioned the meeting with CFA in Switzerland and looked forward to more cooperation opportunities in the future.
Evaluation of Chinese companies
This year's UEFA EURO has five Chinese companies as official top partners, which Severin appreciated. He believes that these companies have made an important contribution to the increased international influence and fan participation in UEFA events. He emphasized that the partnership is based on shared values such as sportsmanship, integrity, respect and excellence. At the same time, he expects more Chinese companies to become UEFA's partners in the future and jointly promote the development of soccer.
Thank you to the Chinese fans
Severin expressed his deep gratitude to the Chinese fans for their enthusiasm and support. He mentioned that he was very touched when he heard that hundreds of millions of Chinese fans stayed up late to watch the EURO matches. He believes that Chinese fans are loyal fans of soccer and their attention and support is an important driving force for the development of the sport. He hoped that through the beautiful sport of soccer, the exchanges and friendship between China and Europe could be further strengthened.
A vision for the future of soccer
Severin is confident about the future of soccer. He pointed out that despite concerns that the younger generation is paying less attention to soccer, this is not the reality. The fact that more and more young people are watching and participating in soccer is a testament to the game's charm and appeal. He believed that globally, soccer will continue to maintain its importance and influence. At the same time, he expects that the successful implementation of the new tournament system will bring more vitality and opportunities to the sport.
