Euro2008 Update

UEFA has announced the referees and assistant referees who will officiate at UEFA EURO 2008™ in Austria and Switzerland next summer.
Refereeing teamsUEFA's Referees' Committee has designated 12 referees and 24 assistants (along with eight fourth officials) to take charge of the 31 matches from 7-29 June 2008. The referee 'trios' comprise referees and assistant referees from the same country, all of whom have been on constant duty as a team in European club matches – particularly the UEFA Champions League – over the past year. UEFA chooses refereeing teams because of the experience and understanding that the three officials gather together.
'The best in the business'"It is never easy to select the final list of names to officiate at a tournament as prestigious as the UEFA European Football Championship," said Angel María Villar Llona, the chairman of the UEFA Referees' Committee. "However, these officials are the best in the business at the moment and deserve their chance. The idea of appointing trios began at UEFA EURO 2004™, as it enables the officials to work closely together in their own domestic competition and at UEFA level for a longer period of time before the tournament. We wish them all the very best in their appointments at UEFA EURO 2008™."
Communication systemThe ear-piece communications system between match officials, used in top European matches, will be authorised for use in the finals. The system, UEFA said, "should facilitate quick and efficient communication".
Preparatory seminarThe 44 selected match officials will now begin their preparations in earnest. They will attend a preparatory seminar from 14-17 April at the Mövenpick Hotel in Regensdorf, Switzerland, where they will take part in a physical test and be given specific instructions for the final tournament. This hotel will serve from 3 June as the base for the referee teams at UEFA EURO 2008™. From 26 June, those still involved in the final stages will move to the Renaissance Penta Hotel in Vienna, Austria.
Injury provisionsDuring the final tournament, any injured referee will be replaced by the fourth official at the match, and any injured assistant referee will be replaced by a fifth official who will come from the list of assistant referees not officiating at a game on that day. "The officials will continue to officiate at European club competition matches but will not be appointed to any international friendlies concerning the 16 teams qualified for the final tournament," said UEFA. Support for the team of officials will include a physio, a doctor, and a fitness coach who has devised a specific programme for the tournament.

UEFA EURO 2008™ squads

Austria
1 Alex Manninger
2 Joachim Standfest
3 Martin Stranzl
4 Emanuel Pogatetz
5 Christian Fuchs
6 René Aufhauser
7 Ivica Vastic
8 Christoph Leitgeb
9 Roland Linz
10 Andreas Ivanschitz
11 Ümit Korkmaz
12 Ronald Gercaliu
13 Markus Katzer
14 György Garics
15 Sebastian Prödl
16 Jürgen Patocka
17 Martin Hiden
18 Roman Kienast
19 Jürgen Säumel
20 Martin Harnik
21 Jürgen Macho
22 Erwin Hoffer
23 Ramazan Özcan
Coach: Josef Hickersberger

Croatia
1 Stipe Pletikosa
2 Dario Šimić
3 Josip Šimunić
4 Robert Kovač
5 Vedran Ćorluka
6 Hrvoje Vejić
7 Ivan Rakitić
8 Ognjen Vukojević
9 Nikola Kalinić
10 Niko Kovač
11 Darijo Srna
12 Mario Galinović
13 Nikola Pokrivač
14 Luka Modrić
15 Dario Knežević
16 Jerko Leko
17 Ivan Klasnić
18 Ivica Olić
19 Niko Kranjčar
20 Igor Budan
21 Mladen Petrić
22 Danijel Pranjić
23 Vedran Runje
Coach: Slaven Bilić

Czech Republic
1 Petr Čech
2 Zdeněk Grygera
3 Jan Polák
4 Tomáš Galásek
5 Radoslav Kováč
6 Marek Jankulovski
7 Libor Sionko
8 Martin Fenin
9 Jan Koller
10 Václav Svěrkoš
11 Stanislav Vlček
12 Zdeněk Pospěch
13 Michal Kadlec
14 David Jarolím
15 Milan Baroš
16 Jaromír Blažek
17 Marek Matějovský
18 Tomáš Sivok
19 Rudolf Skácel
20 Jaroslav Plašil
21 Tomáš Ujfaluši
22 David Rozehnal
23 Daniel Zítka
Coach: Karel Brückner

France
1 Steve Mandanda
2 Jean-Alain Boumsong
3 Eric Abidal
4 Patrick Vieira
5 William Gallas
6 Claude Makelele
7 Florent Malouda
8 Nicolas Anelka
9 Karim Benzema
10 Sidney Govou
11 Samir Nasri
12 Thierry Henry
13 Patrice Evra
14 François Clerc
15 Lilian Thuram
16 Sébastien Frey
17 Sébastien Squillaci
18 Bafétimbi Gomis
19 Willy Sagnol
20 Jérémy Toulalan
21 Lassana Diarra
22 Franck Ribéry
23 Grégory Coupet
Coach: Raymond Domenech

Germany
1 Jens Lehmann
2 Marcell Jansen
3 Arne Friedrich
4 Clemens Fritz
5 Heiko Westermann
6 Simon Rolfes
7 Bastian Schweinsteiger
8 Torsten Frings
9 Mario Gómez
10 Oliver Neuville
11 Miroslav Klose
12 Robert Enke
13 Michael Ballack
14 Piotr Trochowski
15 Thomas Hitzlsperger
16 Philipp Lahm
17 Per Mertesacker
18 Tim Borowski
19 David Odonkor
20 Lukas Podolski
21 Christoph Metzelder
22 Kevin Kuranyi
23 René Adler
Coach: Joachim Löw

Greece
1 Antonios Nikopolidis
2 Giourkas Seitaridis
3 Christos Patsatzoglou
4 Nikolaos Spyropoulos
5 Traianos Dellas
6 Angelos Basinas
7 Georgios Samaras
8 Stylianos Giannakopoulos
9 Angelos Charisteas
10 Georgios Karagounis
11 Loukas Vintra
12 Konstantinos Chalkias
13 Alexandros Tzorvas
14 Dimitrios Salpingidis
15 Vassilios Torosidis
16 Sotirios Kyrgiakos
17 Theofanis Gekas
18 Ioannis Goumas
19 Paraskevas Antzas
20 Ioannis Amanatidis
21 Konstantinos Katsouranis
22 Alexandros Tziolis
23 Nikolaos Liberopoulos
Coach: Otto Rehhagel

Italy
1 Gianluigi Buffon
2 Christian Panucci
3 Fabio Grosso
4 Giorgio Chiellini
5 Fabio Cannavaro
6 Andrea Barzagli
7 Alessandro Del Piero
8 Gennaro Gattuso
9 Luca Toni
10 Daniele De Rossi
11 Antonio Di Natale
12 Marco Borriello
13 Massimo Ambrosini
14 Marco Amelia
15 Fabio Quagliarella
16 Mauro Camoranesi
17 Morgan De Sanctis
18 Antonio Cassano
19 Gianluca Zambrotta
20 Simone Perrotta
21 Andrea Pirlo
22 Alberto Aquilani
23 Marco Materazzi
Coach: Roberto Donadoni

Netherlands
1 Edwin van der Sar
2 André Ooijer
3 John Heitinga
4 Joris Mathijsen
5 Giovanni van Bronckhorst
6 Demy de Zeeuw
7 Robin van Persie
8 Orlando Engelaar
9 Ruud van Nistelrooy
10 Wesley Sneijder
11 Arjen Robben
12 Mario Melchiot
13 Henk Timmer
14 Wilfred Bouma
15 Tim de Cler
16 Maarten Stekelenburg
17 Nigel de Jong
18 Dirk Kuyt
19 Klaas Jan Huntelaar
20 Ibrahim Afellay
21 Ryan Babel
22 Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink
23 Rafael van der Vaart
Coach: Marco van Basten

Poland
1 Artur Boruc
2 Mariusz Jop
3 Jakub Wawrzyniak
4 Pawel Golański
5 Dariusz Dudka
6 Jacek Bąk
7 Euzebiusz Smolarek
8 Jacek Krzynówek
9 Maciej Żurawski
10 Łukasz Garguła
11 Marek Saganowski
12 Tomasz Kuszczak
13 Marcin Wasilewski
14 Michał Żewłakow
15 Michał Pazdan
16 Jakub Błaszczykowski
17 Wojciech Łobodziński
18 Mariusz Lewandowski
19 Rafał Murawski
20 Roger Guerreiro
21 Tomasz Zahorski
22 Łukasz Fabiański
23 Adam Kokoszka
Coach: Leo Beenhakker

Portugal
1 Ricardo
2 Paulo Ferreira
3 Bruno Alves
4 Bosingwa
5 Fernando Meira
6 Raul Meireles
7 Cristiano Ronaldo
8 Petit
9 Hugo Almeida
10 João Moutinho
11 Simão
12 Quim
13 Miguel
14 Jorge Ribeiro
15 Pepe
16 Ricardo Carvalho
17 Ricardo Quaresma
18 Miguel Veloso
19 Nani
20 Deco
21 Nuno Gomes
22 Rui Patrício
23 Hélder Postiga
Coach: Luiz Felipe Scolari

Romania
1 Bogdan Lobonţ
2 Cosmin Contra
3 Răzvan Raţ
4 Gabriel Tamaş
5 Cristian Chivu
6 Mirel Rădoi
7 Florentin Petre
8 Paul Codrea
9 Ciprian Marica
10 Adrian Mutu
11 Răzvan Cociş
12 Marius Cornel Popa
13 Cristian Sapunaru
14 Sorin Ghionea
15 Dorin Goian
16 Bănel Nicoliţă
17 Cosmin Moti
18 Marius Niculae
19 Adrian Cristea
20 Nicolae Dică
21 Daniel Niculae
22 Ştefan Radu
23 Eduard Stăncioiu
Coach: Victor Piţurcă

Russia
1 Igor Akinfeev
2 Vasili Berezutski
3 Renat Yanbaev
4 Sergei Ignashevich
5 Aleksei Berezutski
6 Roman Adamov
7 Dmitri Torbinskiy
8 Denis Kolodin
9 Ivan Saenko
10 Andrei Arshavin
11 Sergei Semak
12 Vladimir Gabulov
13 Pavel Pogrebnyak
14 Roman Shirokov
15 Diniyar Bilyaletdinov
16 Vyacheslav Malafeev
17 Konstantin Zyrianov
18 Yuri Zhirkov
19 Roman Pavlyuchenko
20 Igor Semshov
21 Dmitri Sychev
22 Aleksandr Anyukov
23 Vladimir Bystrov
Coach: Guus Hiddink

Spain
1 Iker Casillas
2 Raúl Albiol
3 Fernando Navarro
4 Carlos Marchena
5 Carles Puyol
6 Andrés Iniesta
7 David Villa
8 Xavi Hernández
9 Fernando Torres
10 Cesc Fábregas
11 Joan Capdevila
12 Santi Cazorla
13 Andrés Palop
14 Xabi Alonso
15 Sergio Ramos
16 Sergio García
17 Daniel Güiza
18 Álvaro Arbeloa
19 Marcos Senna
20 Juanito Gutiérrez
21 David Silva
22 Rubén De La Red
23 Pepe Reina
Coach: Luis Aragonés

Sweden
1 Andreas Isaksson
2 Mikael Nilsson
3 Olof Mellberg
4 Petter Hansson
5 Fredrik Stoor
6 Tobias Linderoth
7 Niclas Alexandersson
8 Anders Svensson
9 Fredrik Ljungberg
10 Zlatan Ibrahimović
11 Johan Elmander
12 Rami Shaaban
13 Johan Wiland
14 Daniel Majstorovic
15 Andreas Granqvist
16 Kim Källström
17 Henrik Larsson
18 Sebastian Larsson
19 Daniel Andersson
20 Marcus Allbäck
21 Christian Wilhelmsson
22 Markus Rosenberg
23 Mikael Dorsin
Coach: Lars Lagerbäck

Switzerland
1 Diego Benaglio
2 Johan Djourou
3 Ludovic Magnin
4 Philippe Senderos
5 Stephan Lichtsteiner
6 Benjamin Huggel
7 Ricardo Cabanas
8 Gökhan Inler
9 Alexander Frei
10 Hakan Yakin
11 Marco Streller
12 Eren Derdiyok
13 Stéphane Grichting
14 Daniel Gygax
15 Gelson Fernandes
16 Tranquillo Barnetta
17 Christoph Spycher
18 Pascal Zuberbühler
19 Valon Behrami
20 Patrick Müller
21 Eldin Jakupovic
22 Johan Vonlanthen
23 Philipp Degen
Coach: Jakob Kuhn


Turkey
1 Rüştü Reçber
2 Servet Çetin
3 Hakan Balta
4 Gökhan Zan
5 Emre Belözoğlu
6 Mehmet Topal
7 Mehmet Aurélio
8 Nihat Kahveci
9 Semih Şentürk
10 Gökdeniz Karadeniz
11 Tümer Metin
12 Tolga Zengin
13 Emre Güngör
14 Arda Turan
15 Emre Aşık
16 Uğur Boral
17 Tuncay Şanlı
18 Kazım Kazım
19 Ayhan Akman
20 Sabri Sarıoğlu
21 Mevlüt Erdinç
22 Hamit Altıntop
23 Volkan Demirel
Coach: Fatih Terim

The Numbers beside the country represent the number of points the higher it is the better is the team as can be seen Italy is with the most points since they won the World Cup last time

Group A
Czech Republic: 1883

Portugal: 1833

Turkey: 1782

Switzerland: 1770

Group B
Germany: 1929

Croatia: 1848

Poland: 1760

Austria: 1572

Group C
Italy: 2003

France: 1983

Netherlands: 1939

Romania: 1872

Group D
Spain: 1953

Greece: 1823

Sweden: 1770

Russia: 1762

http://www.euro2008.uefa.com/

Players Injuries

Flamini returns as Vieira fears grow

Mathieu Flamini has been called up as cover by France coach Raymond Domenech amid growing concerns that Bleus captain Patrick Vieira will not be fit for UEFA EURO 2008™.
PrecautionThe midfielder, who has agreed to join AC Milan from Arsenal FC this summer, had been part of Domenech's provisional 30-man squad but failed to make the final cut. It now looks like he could get his chance after all after being recalled to the French training camp at Clairefontaine as a precaution.

Vieira, who turns 32 on 23 June, is suffering from an injury to his left thigh sustained on Friday. The FC Internazionale Milano midfielder will not be fit for the opening game against Romania a week today – and Domenech will wait until the final deadline to decide whether to replace him with Flamini. "I'm neither optimistic nor pessimistic," said the coach. "Just being attentive to whatever can happen and ensuring that the team is fully prepared for a section featuring four great teams. The team not at their prime at kick-off will be in trouble immediately."

Two caps Flamini, who has been capped twice by France, was initially dropped on 28 May along with Hatem Ben Arfa, Djibril Cissé, Mickaël Landreau, Alou Diarra, Julien Escudé and Philippe Mexès. Domenech, however, asked them to remain on standby as changes can be made before the team's opening game in case of injury.Rules and regulations According to Article 16.05 of the Regulations of the UEFA European Football Championship: "In the event of serious injury to a listed player before his team's first match in the final tournament, the player in question may be substituted only if a doctor from the UEFA Medical Committee and the team doctor concerned both confirm that the injury is sufficiently serious to prevent the player from taking part." Les Bleus play Colombia in their final friendly at the Stade de France on Tuesday.

Italy lose captain Cannavaro

The Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro has been ruled out of UEFA EURO 2008™ after rupturing ligaments in his left ankle during the Azzurri's first training session at their base in Modling, Austria yesterday. Coach Roberto Donadoni reacted by calling in the ACF Fiorentina defender Alessandro Gamberini.
Chiellini tackleThe 34-year-old Real Madrid CF centre-back, capped 116 times, sustained the knock following a tackle by fellow defender Giorgio Chiellini and was carried off the field on a stretcher. Italy doctor Paolo Zeppilli said he feared that the injury was "not minor" and so it proved as hospital tests confirmed the extent of the damage.
Big bootsGamberini joins up with the squad having won two previous caps. The 26-year-old may have big boots to fill – Cannavaro skippered Italy to FIFA World Cup glory in 2006 – but the former Bologna FC defender can take confidence from a consistent season during which he appeared 40 times in Serie A and the UEFA Cup for the Viola.

Player Putting Team As Pirority

Ferreira happy to put team first

Paulo Ferreira has confirmed he is more than happy to play out of position to aid Portugal's quest for UEFA EURO 2008™ glory.
Confident The Chelsea FC right-back has been asked to step in and cover the team's problem position at left-back during the tournament and is taking it all in his stride. "I'm a professional and I have to be ready for anything," he said. "Clearly playing at left-back is a bit different than playing on the right, but I'm feeling confident because I know [coach Luiz Felipe] Scolari has confidence in me."

Ferreira, who joined Chelsea from FC Porto just before UEFA EURO 2004™, has endured a difficult season with injuries and after losing his starting place at club level he is determined to make the most of this chance with his country. "Of course, I like to play," he said. "I was maybe a bit unlucky that when I was having a good moment I got injured, but this competition is different. I feel very good and ready for the start of it."
Caution neededFerreira was also wary of raising expectations too much on the back of Portugal's recent successes, having reached the final four years ago as well as getting to the semi-finals at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. "We feel very proud of what we achieved in 2004 and 2006, but we are now in a different tournament in 2008," he stressed. "We have a lot of new players as well, and we have to just go by one step at a time."

Ferreira's team-mate Petit agreed, saying that the first Group A game against Turkey at the Stade de Genève on Saturday would be crucial. "I think the first game is going to determine how the rest will go," he said. "We're expecting Turkey to give everything. They have an excellent national team with a lot of experienced players. But we're prepared for this. We know we have to win the first game for our morale and to continue our campaign."

The 31-year-old SL Benfica midfielder has passed an eventful few weeks, firstly confirming he would be able to take his place in the squad after injury, then announcing at the pre-tournament camp in Viseu that he would retire from the international game following UEFA EURO 2008™. "I've come here feeling good," said Petit. "I have been working for this. I know on Saturday I'll have to be at my best."

SuperStar Player

Robben ready to fly again

In the Netherlands' UEFA EURO 2008™ warm-up matches, one player has caught the eye more than any other – winger Arjen Robben.
Sparking to lifeThe 24-year-old has been fast and direct, displaying a willingness to dribble past opponents whenever possible. Robben, who won the Primera División with Real Madrid CF alongside Wesley Sneijder and Ruud van Nistelrooy, returned to Oranje action in style against Denmark on 29 May. He set up Van Nistelrooy's opener in that 1-1 draw, then scored his ninth goal in 33 internationals against Wales four days later. It was form recalling his youthful best, before the injuries that limited him to 12 league starts in his first season with Real Madrid. Happy return"I feel very strong and fit now," the former FC Groningen, PSV Eindhoven and Chelsea FC flier told euro2008.com. "I have been out of international football because of injuries for far too long. I am delighted to be back with the squad after more than six months." Robben's previous outing for Marco van Basten's team had been the UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifier against Slovenia on 17 October. He attributes his recovery to a tip from former FC Twente coach Fred Rutten, who contacted Robben's father to recommend an osteopath from his own playing days. "He worked with me for some time and unlocked certain parts of my back, and that has been a big help," said the wide man.
'On the right track'The collective picture, as well as the personal, gives Robben hope for the Netherlands' Group C tests to come. "We have put in some good performances, we have shown good things and we have improved where necessary, so we are on the right track," he said. "But whether that will be enough, we will only find out during the group stage." The Oranje's first game is against world champions Italy in Berne on Monday, before meetings with France on 13 June and Romania four days later. "Obviously Italy are a very strong footballing nation and, as a team, they are always very well-organised," the winger continued. "But they are not the only strong side at EURO and everyone is here to win it."
Cannavaro sympathyFor all his desire for Dutch success, Robben takes no pleasure in the misfortune of Italy captain and Real Madrid team-mate Fabio Cannavaro – ruled out of the tournament this week with an ankle injury. "I did not find that good news at all," he said. "It is very sad as I know what it means to miss out on things through injury. But Italy have enough quality to replace him, they can cope. The match against Italy is going to be about the small details, which in the end will decide who will win. It will not be easy for either side."