UEFA President's praise for DBU duo

UEFA President Michel Platini has visited Denmark, where he has paid tribute to the president and general secretary of the Danish Football Association (DBU) respectively, Allan Hansen and Jim Stjerne Hansen, who are both stepping down from their association positions after long years of outstanding work and achievement.

Ahead of Saturday's DBU assembly, Mr Platini attended a reception for the two in Odense, along with several representatives of the Nordic countries' associations, including Swedish Football Association (SvFF) president Karl-Erik Nilsson and prominent figures from the Danish football scene.

"I would like to congratulate Allan and Jim, and thank them for their long contributions to European football," Mr Platini told the audience, later adding at a media briefing: "I wanted to be here in Denmark to say goodbye to Jim and Allan – that is, goodbye to the DBU, but not to UEFA, where both will continue their good work." Allan Hansen is a member of the UEFA Executive Committee, and Jim Stjerne Hansen is a member of the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body.

Mr Hansen was elected DBU president in 2002. Prior to that, he served as chairman for the local association in Funen, before joining the DBU board in 1997. Mr Hansen will continue to serve on the UEFA Executive Committee, which he joined in 2009. He is also chairman of the UEFA HatTrick Committee.

The DBU president said that while he felt some sadness, it was the right time to step down. "I am very proud of the new organisation structure that I have been involved in implementing," he told UEFA.com. "It is essential that the professional and amateur sides of football [in Denmark] work together."

Mr Stjerne Hansen was appointed DBU general secretary in 1988. He is a former football player who won the Danish championship with Hvidovre IF in 1973, and captained Brøndby IF when they were promoted into the Danish first division (now Superliga) in 1981. At the reception, Allan Hansen presented Mr Stjerne Hansen with the DBU golden pin, which is the highest award of the Danish association.

"It is an overwhelming night for Allan and I," said Mr Stjerne Hansen. "We are a small country with few football players, but since 1984, our results have been nothing but unique. I have worked for a strong and sound DBU with focus on football's continued development. I am proud that we, in a time of change, managed to develop a good understanding and cooperation between the professional and amateur side of Danish football."

After the reception, Mr Platini took the opportunity to meet the Danish media and spoke, among other things, about UEFA EURO 2016 in France – the first to feature 24 teams. "I think it is very good to have 24 teams," he said. "Now everybody wants to qualify, and we have 24 good teams in Europe." Mr Platini also commented on UEFA's continued fight against match-fixing, emphasising that "If you go to a match and already know the result, the game is in danger."

Mr Platini remembered former Danish national coach Richard Møller Nielsen, who passed away last month. Møller Nielsen led Denmark to triumph at EURO '92 after they had been included in the final round field at a late stage in place of Yugoslavia. "He had a great career, and brought Denmark to the top of European football," the UEFA President reflected.