Are you tired of always giving the trophies to Spanish clubs?
No – because the Champions League is a very difficult competition, and because noone has won the trophy two years in a row, compared with what happened before in the European Champion Clubs’ Cup with Ajax, with Bayern and with Liverpool.
I always respect whoever wins the Champions League, because it is a tough season. When I was a player, we had important games from the quarter-finals onwards: we had two quarter-finals, two semi-finals and the final. Then after this, there was a trophy.
Now you begin good games in September… September! You already have good games, which you have to win. Of course, the big teams come through to the knockout phase, but I think I always present the trophy to the team which deserves to be the winners.
Do any particular moments stand out from this past season?
As president, it doesn’t really bother me, because the games are beautiful. However, as Michel Platini, former player of Juventus, I have in the past given the cup to a Milan club like Inter and I would have been happy to give it to another team from Italy, more specifically from Piedmont (laughs), but it was not possible because Barcelona played very well.
We always try to have an excellent atmosphere, as well as excellent referees. We make the pitches as good as possible and provide the best TV coverage during our competitions. I think [the UEFA Champions League] is a beautiful competition.
Did you have much chance to enjoy the recent U21 EURO in the Czech Republic?
I saw some games, but I know the players in the Champions League better than the younger ones. I will know them in some years’ time, when they are stars. In the final, Sweden played Portugal, two different teams than the ones we have seen in the past, and that is good.
Were you surprised by Germany’s 5-0 defeat in the semi-finals by Portugal?
There was surprise that Germany won 7-1 in Brazil in the semi-final of the World Cup. Everything is possible in football. That is the beauty of the game, because it’s unpredictable. You might never think that Germany could win 7-1 in Brazil, or lose 5-0 against Portugal in the U21 EURO.
This is why we come to see the game, and why we are fighting against match-fixing, because everyone knows that it was not a fixed game. Football is unpredictable. It’s the only game where you never know who will win.
