The days are being counted, with the Continental AG providing a Count Down Clock in Basle to allow the Swiss public to measure the time until the kick-off of the UEFA European Football Championship™ 2008. EURO mascots Trix and Flix are increasingly developing as famous characters, and the excitement among fans for the big event is growing by the day. In early December 2007 the Swiss were told the opponents their national team will face during the biggest sports event to be held in the country since the 1954 FIFA World Cup™. “It is a tough, but manageable group. It could have been worse”, said Alexander Frei, who actively participated in the draw in Lucerne. Switzerland will play the opening match against the Czech Republic, the 1976 European champions and 1996 runners-up, on Saturday, June 7, at 18:00 hrs. On June 11, there will be a special revenge encounter against Turkey; on June 15 they will meet Portugal. The “Nati” will play all their matches, as determined in advance, at St. Jakobs Park Stadium, Basle. The other three Group A games, where Switzerland’s opponents play each other, will be staged in Geneva.

Alex Frei, who hopes to return to form with his club Borussia Dortmund at the beginning of 2008 after a long injury break, once again emphasised the high aims the Swiss have set themselves: “I would be a bad captain if I were to say we take it match by match. We want to win the European title”. Swiss national coach Jakob Kuhn reacted as calmly as expected: “We have a very attractive group, a great combination. I am looking forward to the encounters with Portugal, the Czech Republic and Turkey in Basle.” The planning for the big tournament has reached the final stages within the Swiss Football Association, SFV. Video footage of these first UEFA European Football Championship™ opponents has been compiled, and will soon be shown to the players.

Two international matches have been fixed for February and March. The Swiss will meet England in London on February 6, Germany will come to Switzerland on March 26. By the turn of 2007-2008 the match site had not been determined. Kuhn has set himself the task of reducing the preliminary squad of 40 players for the UEFA EURO 2008™ after these tests against prominent opponents. By the end of May “Kobi” Kuhn, like all other coaches, has to name his 23-player squad to the European Football Association, UEFA.

The accommodation for the Swiss national team has been fixed. The “Panorama Resort & Spa” at Feusisberg, above Lake Zurich, will be the base for the Swiss players. Kuhn got to know this place many years ago as a player with FC Zurich. Kuhn has often summoned players before international matches to the hotel, where tennis queen Martina Hingis and Formula 1 World champion Kimi Raikkonen have relaxed in the exclusive wellness area. This will allow the Swiss to relax in a spot they know well, while St. Jakobs Park is a ground they know like the backs of their hands.

The reaction to the draw was positive in Switzerland. Progress would not be easy, but the top teams were not in Group A, was the general reaction among Swiss experts and the media. Gunter Netzer, the former German world-class player, believes the team can reach the quarter-finals. Netzer is a renowned TV presenter in Germany and closely connected with football business as a negotiator of TV rights. His optimism for Switzerland is also based on great affection for the team. Netzer lives in Switzerland and closely follows football in the country.

But everything for a successful participation in the European Championship depends on whether the regular players, now injured, can regain full fitness by the start of the event. Lothar Matthaeus, the 1990 German FIFA World Cup™ champion, agreed: “I think the Swiss can make the quarter-finals. There will be a head-to-head race between Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Portugal”, said Matthaeus, who like Netzer keenly follows international football.

The first match to kick off the UEFA EURO 2008 ™, in front of 40,000 spectators in Basle, will be a key game. “The home advantage will certainly help us”, said Stephane Chapuisat who played at the UEFA EURO 2004™. The Czechs are not dismissing this advantage enjoyed by the Swiss hosts. It was proven at the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ in Germany how a good home atmosphere can affect the home team. The second group match against Turkey has special memories. There were hostile scenes in Istanbul in November 2005, when Switzerland lost the second play-off match of the FIFA World Cup™ qualification 4-2, but nevertheless booked a place in Germany as a result of their 2-0 win in the first game. “We should no longer look back on what happened in Istanbul. We played well in the first match in Berne, displaying a great team spirit. That’s exactly what we must do again in Basle”, Kuhn said. Turkey’s coach Fatih Terim also reacted calmly: “We expect great friendliness and a fair game”. Portugal, the last group opponents, are looked upon as incalcubles by the Swiss. “The team is like a surprise package. They can be favourites, but also be eliminated without gaining a single point”, Frei said. The reigning European runners-up encountered considerable difficulties in progressing through the qualification process.

If the Swiss team can perform as well as the country’s organising committee has acted in the preparations to UEFA EURO 2008™, nothing should go wrong. The UEFA European Football Championship™ Organising Committee presented a well received draw at the Congress and Culture Centre in Lucerne, which in turn was stylish and elegant, warm-hearted and friendly. There followed successful qualification group receptions in Montreux on Lake Geneva, then, with the Swiss combining with co hosts Austria, a second such event in Lucerne on Lake Vierwaldstatt. Anticipation of 2008 UEFA EURO 2008™ is at a high.