2016 ─ a year to remember for UEFA
Friday, December 23, 2016
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A new president and a successful UEFA EURO 2016 were just two of the many highlights of UEFA's year; we look back at the events that marked a fascinating 12 months.
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It has been another fascinating 12 months for UEFA; a new president, UEFA EURO 2016, tireless work promoting football and its crucial values. As always, UEFA has been firmly at the forefront of the movement to foster the game's development and ensure its well-being. We take a look back at some key moments for UEFA that made 2016 a year to remember.
JANUARY
The use of goal-line technology (GLT) was approved by UEFA's Executive Committee for UEFA EURO 2016 in France, the 2016/17 UEFA Champions League from the play-offs onwards and, subsequently, for the 2015/16 club competition finals.
FEBRUARY
Gianni Infantino, UEFA's general secretary since 2009, was elected as FIFA's ninth president in the world football body's 112-year history.
UEFA named its 18 teams of referees for UEFA EURO 2016.
UEFA joined forces with French star Paul Pogba in support of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) campaign on behalf of landmine victims in Afghanistan.
MARCH
Theodore Theodoridis, UEFA's national associations director since 2008 and deputy general secretary since October 2010, was appointed UEFA general secretary ad interim.
England captain Stephanie Houghton was appointed as a UEFA Women's Football Development Ambassador.
APRIL
UEFA's care for football's crucial grassroots shone through at its latest Grassroots Workshop in Ljubljana, Slovenia
Refereeing preparations for UEFA EURO 2016 were stepped up at a pre-tournament gathering at Enghiens-les-Bains near Paris.
MAY
At the 40th Ordinary UEFA Congress in Budapest, Kosovo became the 55th UEFA member association, and Florence Hardouin (France) was the first female member of the UEFA Executive Committee to be elected by a UEFA Congress.
Amputee football, blind football and Special Olympics football, along with grassroots football activities, were all highlighted at the UEFA Champions Festival ahead of the UEFA Champions League final in Milan.
JUNE
UEFA launched a new Respect campaign at UEFA EURO 2016 - #CelebrateFootball - to highlight how the beautiful game can bring people closer together.
The UEFA Foundation for Children was prominent at UEFA EURO 2016.
JULY
UEFA thanked fans for their exemplary behaviour and respect during UEFA EURO 2016.
As UEFA EURO 2016 drew to a close, UEFA looked back with pride and satisfaction at the month in France.
Former Germany international Nadine Kessler was appointed as a UEFA Women's Football Development Ambassador.
AUGUST
Real Madrid and Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo was voted as 2015/16 UEFA Best Player in Europe.
Lyon and Norway's Ada Hegerberg won the UEFA Best Women's Player in Europe Award for 2015/16.
Europe's leading club coaches met with UEFA to discuss key issues around their jobs and the modern-day game.
SEPTEMBER
Aleksander Čeferin, president of the Football Association of Slovenia (NZS) was elected as UEFA’s seventh president at the body's Extraordinary Congress in Athens.
Theodore Theodoridis, UEFA general secretary ad interim since March, was appointed as general secretary on a permanent basis.
European national-team coaches reviewed UEFA EURO 2016 at a UEFA conference in Paris.
The 2020 UEFA European Championship officially kicked off with the unveiling of the tournament’s visual identity.
Across Europe, grassroots football was celebrated during UEFA Grassroots Week, and grassroots leaders, clubs and projects in Belarus, Belgium and Austria won gold medals in the 2016 UEFA Grassroots Awards.
OCTOBER
UEFA honoured fans of Iceland, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and Wales with awards for their magnificent support for their teams at UEFA EURO 2016.
UEFA and the football family used the high-profile platform of its club competitions to challenge discrimination and celebrate diversity.
NOVEMBER
A series of ceremonies took place during the autumn to launch the host city logos of the 13 cities staging matches at UEFA EURO 2020.
UEFA Women's EURO 2017 in the Netherlands moved a step closer with the final tournament draw in Rotterdam.
DECEMBER
A UEFA report highlighted how the female game has evolved in Europe over the past five years.