By Paul Radford
VIENNA, June 6 (Reuters) - On the eve of Euro 2008, European
soccer chief Michel Platini called on players and fans on Friday
to enjoy a great tournament in a party atmosphere but urged them
to show respect and shun bad behaviour.
The three-week, 16-nation tournament, which organisers
expect to attract five million visitors to joint host countries
Austria and Switzerland, starts on Saturday when the Swiss take
on Czech Republic in Basel.
Platini, the former French captain who became president of
European soccer's governing body UEFA last year, gave an upbeat
news conference in Basel as he launched the first major
tournament of his term of office.
"The party is about to start," he said. "There will be a lot
of laughing, a lot of crying, there will be pain and joy and at
the end there will be one winner -- that's the best team.
"We want the Euros to convey messages of respect, for the
teams, for the national anthems, respect for the differences and
diversity of the nations.
"We want the players to show respect to the referees. The
referees committee have visited all the teams to tell them
exactly what will and will not be tolerated here.
"I have no real worries about what will happen on the pitch,
the players are adult, they are professional. But let me say
this -- as the president, there will be zero tolerance for any
trouble on the pitch or in the stands."
NO FAVOURITES
While the president was addressing some of the 10,000 media
gathered for the tournament, coaches of the four teams playing
on the opening day were assessing the fitness and form of their
players ahead of what is widely seen as a tournament with no
clear favourites.
Apart from the Swiss-Czech encounter in Basel, which kicks
off at 1600 GMT, Portugal and Turkey play in the other Group A
match in Geneva at 1845 GMT.
The Swiss team had extra concerns and prepared a contingency
plan in case experienced coach Koebi Kuhn has to quit the team
because of the serious illness of his wife, hospitalised since
having an epileptic fit on Monday.
Portugal were also trying hard to keep their minds on the
match with Turkey despite almost frenzied media speculation
about the futures of coach Luiz Felipe Scolari and key player
Cristiano Ronaldo.
Scolari refused to answer journalists' questions on whether
he might take over as Chelsea manager after the tournament and
he made it clear Ronaldo, widely expected to be the top player
of the tournament, would similarly not be discussing whether he
was likely to move from Manchester United to Real Madrid.
Security in both countries was stepped up with border checks
to stop known hooligans from entering.
Foreign police officers have been stationed in host cities,
and information exchange centres are active in both countries,
tracking the movements of potentially volatile fans.
If organisers were relieved that England, whose fans have
caused problems at some past tournaments, failed to qualify this
time then no one would state it directly.
Asked about it, Platini said: "England never had a monopoly
on hooligans. I just hope no hooligans come out, no people
looking to cause trouble, no wet blankets.
"What I will say is that the 16 teams here are the 16 best
in Europe. England just has to take the necessary steps if it
wants to qualify next time."
(Editing by Jon Bramley)
