Sir Alex Ferguson named UEFA Coaching Ambassador

UEFA European Under-21 Championship final tournament expanded

The UEFA Executive Committee has named Sir Alex Ferguson as UEFA Coaching Ambassador, the appointment made at the committee’s first meeting of the year, which was held at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland.

As part of his role, Sir Alex will be part of the UEFA Champions League Technical Study Group, and will chair the annual UEFA Elite Coaches Forum, where Europe’s top club coaches discuss tactical and technical trends. He will also attend the UEFA National Team Coaches Conferences, the UEFA Coach Education Workshops and the UEFA Coach Education Student Exchange programme courses, passing on his experience and unique insights to the next coaching generation.

The Executive Committee has also decided to increase the number of teams participating in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship final tournament from eight to twelve teams as from the 2015-17 competition.

The UEFA Executive Committee approved the trial of the use of vanishing spray paint at the upcoming UEFA European Under-17 Championship in Malta in May. The spray allows the referee to mark the line where the defending team must set up its defensive wall before a free kick is taken. Referees pace the regulatory 9.15m between the ball and the nearest defender, and then spray a temporary white line on the pitch to mark the correct position of the wall. The line then disappears from the pitch within a minute. Based on the outcome of this trial, the spray may be considered for use in other UEFA competitions.

The next meeting of the UEFA Executive Committee will take place in Astana, Kazakhstan on 25/26 March, ahead of the XXXVIII Ordinary Congress on 27 March 2014.