Toulouse stadium visit by UEFA President

UEFA President Michel Platini has visited Toulouse to see the preparatory work that is being undertaken at the French city's Stadium de Toulouse – one of ten venues that will host matches at UEFA EURO 2016 in three summers' time.

Mr Platini, accompanied by the chairman of EURO 2016 SAS, Jacques Lambert, attended working meetings with the mayor of Toulouse, Pierre Cohen, and other local municipal officials as well as with the president of Toulouse FC, Olivier Sadran. Following the meetings, the UEFA President was a spectator at Wednesday's French Ligue 1 fixture between Toulouse and FC Lorient.

Situated on an island in the heart of Toulouse, the stadium, which has a UEFA capacity of 33,000, was built specifically for the 1938 FIFA World Cup. It previously underwent considerable renovations in 1949 and 1997, the latter major work coming ahead of the 1998 World Cup when it staged six games. Work for the 2016 final round began in June.

Toulouse, Bordeaux, Lens, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Paris, Saint-Denis and Saint-Etienne, are the venues that will host matches at the UEFA EURO 2016 tournament, which takes place in France between 10 June and 10 July 2016.

"The construction work is moving forward," said Mr Platini. "Toulouse is a festive city which has a very fine stadium, and I think the city will be equal to the task. There is a genuine warmth here and everything went very well at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

"EURO 2016 is a fantastic opportunity for French sport, with beautiful stadiums," he added.