"Very satisfied"

Lahm: “Football can be a piece of the mosaic”

Philipp Lahm

(Bild: AFP )

Tournament director Philipp Lahm is "very satisfied overall" with the staging of the European Football Championship. The 2014 world champion was particularly happy that the final round went off without a hitch, especially when it came to security. And: "Football can be a piece of the mosaic."

 "You have to worry a little because it has to be safe and peaceful. And I think we managed that very, very well for the most part," said Lahm in an interview with ARD ahead of the final between Spain and England in Berlin.

Tournament Director Philipp Lahm is "very satisfied overall" with the staging of the European Football Championship. The 2014 world champion was particularly happy that the final round went largely smoothly when it came to security. "You have to worry a little because it has to be safe and peaceful. And I think we managed that very, very well for the most part," said Lahm in an interview with ARD ahead of the final between Spain and England in Berlin.

The security authorities had "done a great job", Lahm continued. The ex-professional had high praise for the ten host cities of the European Championship. "You could see from the pictures how people came together here, really had fun and how we took something positive away with us," emphasized Lahm. He wants to look back on possible points of criticism over the next four weeks.

In an interview with the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" newspaper, he also commented on criticism of the transport infrastructure. "The German population has complained often enough, even before the tournament, that not everything runs on time. We have to keep working on that, we have to improve the infrastructure, and that also applies if you're traveling by car," said Lahm, who also mentioned that he had traveled by train for ten days without any problems, "with what felt like a normal 15 to 20-minute delay".

"Football can be a piece of the mosaic"
Lahm was cautious about the extent to which the European Championship atmosphere would have a positive impact on society. "Football can be a piece of the mosaic, it can provide impetus. But of course soccer can't solve our problems in the world," said Lahm in the SZ.