‘Fashion launch’ in Paris for UEFA’s new Euro 2016 logo
PARIS: UEFA has revealed the logo for Euro 2016 at a ceremony in Paris, describing the concept as ‘celebrating the art of football.’
The new logo has the trophy in the centre, wrapped in the blue, white and red colours of the French flag, where the tournament is being held.
The flowing lines around the cup are intended to produce a ‘contemporary and bold style’ to give ‘distinction and elegance.’
An official press release from UEFA said: “This notion expresses both the beauty of the game and the creativity of French culture, as well as encapsulating all of the qualities that make football such a unique and popular sport around the world: the unpredictability of matches, the beauty of a move, the passion of the players and the sheer intensity of it all.”
Conceived by Brandia Central, the Portuguese agency behind the Euro 2012 insignia, the Euro 2016 logo is a representation of various art movements and football elements.
The ceremony was attended by UEFA President Michel Platini, Noël Le Graët, president of the French Football Federation, and Jacques Lambert, president of Euro 2016 SAS.
Euro 2016 will be staged in 10 venues: Bordeaux, Lens, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Paris, Saint-Denis (Stade de France), Saint-Etienne and Toulouse.
Four of the 10 stadia are new-builds in Lille, Lyon, Bordeaux and Nice. Five stadiums in Marseille, Paris, Saint-Etienne, Lens and Toulouse require major redevelopment, while the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, which hosted the 1998 FIFA World Cup final, is already fit for purpose.
Lille opened their 50,000-seat Stade Pierre-Mauroy in August but Lyon’s long-awaited new stadium is causing concern.
The Grand Stade de l’Olympique Lyonnais was originally conceived as the new home of Lyon in 2007, a full three years before France was awarded UEFA’s showpiece event. The 60,000-seat stadium is set to be the first to be entirely funded by private investment and is expected to be ready by late 2015.
Legal actions brought about by activists have delayed construction, but UEFA president Michel Platini expressed his belief that his home nation’s Euro 2016 plans will not be affected.
“I think that all the stadiums will be ready,” said Platini. “Lyon (stadium) is going to be built, Lens looks like it will be done, and I don’t think there will be a problem.”
UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino added: “We can’t imagine having the Euro in France without Lyon but when France need to do something, they do it.
“We really trust France. We staged the last Euro in Poland and Ukraine and it had not been easy. It’s a completely different situation here because France already have all the infrastructure. Apart from stadiums, there’s nothing to build.”
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