Switzerland coach Jakob Kuhn and Turkey counterpart Fatih Terim were quick to extend the hand of friendship after their sides were drawn together alongside the Czech Republic and Portugal in Group A. The two countries were involved in an ugly altercation in Istanbul during the 2006 FIFA World Cup play-offs which resulted in Turkey having to play three home UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifiers in Germany. "What happens on the pitch remains on the pitch," said Terim in Lucerne, while Kuhn emphasised the need "to look forward". The co-hosts will kick off the tournament in Basel on 7 June against the Czech Republic, whose coach Karel Brückner, like his Portugal equivalent Luiz Felipe Scolari, felt it was too early to comment on the draw, preferring instead to wait until he had "thoroughly learned the strengths and weaknesses" of his opponents.
Jakob Kuhn, Switzerland coach
It's a very attractive group – a nice lineup and I'm looking forward to seeing Portugal, the Czech Republic and Turkey in Basel. Regarding Turkey, we don't need to be concerned with what happened in the past in Istanbul. Instead, we have to look forward. The first leg against them in Berne was very good and played in a good spirit, and we want the same in Basel this time.
Fatih Terim, Turkey coach
It is impossible to expect a weak opponent here. All the teams are among the most successful in Europe. We respect all our opponents and wish them luck for the finals. I think our group is very tough and competitive. We all know how good Switzerland, Portugal and the Czech Republic are. Like every other team, our aim is to get through the group. If we can manage that, of course we'll have bigger targets but first you have to get there. Switzerland, Portugal and the Czech Republic might not sound like Germany, Italy or Spain but performance-wise they can be even better. With Switzerland, what happens on the pitch remains on the pitch. We have always had friendly relations with Switzerland. Some unwanted things might have happened which we don't want to go into again. I think both teams will compete well and make fair-play gestures on and off the field. The last player I embraced before coming to this press conference was the Swiss captain, Alexander Frei.
Karel Brückner, Czech Republic coach
All the teams at UEFA EURO 2008™ are quality sides and I don't want to speculate on whether it's a good draw or not. We have respect for each of them and will only talk about specific opponents at a later date once we've thoroughly examined their strengths and weaknesses. Therefore I cannot say I'm satisfied with the draw or not – although I will be satisfied if we go through.
Luiz Felipe Scolari, Portugal coach
It is difficult to comment on the draw. It's fair but we will face difficult teams, of course. All we have to do is concentrate on the work ahead of us and do our best to progress. In such a short competition we know one thing for sure: the first match [against Turkey] will be crucial because it influences the remaining group games. We will basically focus on our first match and the rest will follow. For the third time we will face Turkey in a European Championship. We want this one to finish the same way it did seven years ago [a 2-0 Portugal win]. Experience always counts. The Czech Republic [including as Czechoslovakia] are participating in their seventh European Championship, Portugal their fifth, and Turkey and Switzerland their third. All the coaches are experienced. Let's see who will benefit from their experience here.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No comments:
Post a Comment