UEFA's roots in Switzerland for the majority of the past 50 years have been commemorated with the unveiling of a special Swiss postage stamp to mark the European football body's Golden Jubilee.
Nyon ceremonyThe stamp was handed over to UEFA CEO Lars-Christer Olsson by Dominique Freymond, member of the board of directors of Swiss Post, at a ceremony at UEFA's House of European Football in Nyon, western Switzerland on Tuesday.
FIFA and UEFAThe designer of the stamp, Wolf Henkel, and Switzerland's national Under-21 coach Bernard Challendes were also present at the ceremony. A similar event also took place at the Fraumünster post office in Zurich, where Swiss Post presented world football's governing body FIFA with a stamp marking FIFA's 100th birthday this year.
More than 40 years in Switzerland
UEFA was founded in the Swiss city of Basel in June 1954. The body has been based in Switzerland since the start of the 1960s, after moving from its original home in Paris. UEFA's first Swiss home was the federal capital Berne, where it stayed until 1995 when it switched to Nyon, on the banks of Lake Geneva. A spell in temporary premises in the town was followed by the body's move to its own headquarters, the House of European Football, in autumn 1999.
Part of Swiss life"
This is a very important event for UEFA," said Lars Christer-Olsson, who is leading UEFA through its Jubilee year after taking over as Chief Executive at the start of January. "It is a way of showing that UEFA is part of Swiss life, because this is where we were born, in the same year as the [FIFA] World Cup in Switzerland in 1954.
Football in action"We are very grateful to Swiss Post. We are happy that the stamp shows football in action. We care about the game, football has to be promoted, and the stamp is an excellent way of doing this."
Fantastic sport"Swiss Post could not ignore the fact that UEFA is celebrating its 50th birthday," said Mr Freymond. "Millions of Swiss people attend football matches, in rain or snow. Football is a fantastic sport which nurtures competitive spirit, team spirit and the will to win. It is a sport that brings different people together. The stamp's design perfectly portrays the characteristics of this sport."
Design challenge"It was quite a challenge to design the stamp," Mr Henkel explained. "I literally looked at dozens of photos until I found the right figures and images which would link together the old and the new. I hope that everyone is happy with the way the stamp has turned out."
Jubilee eventsThe launch of the Jubilee stamp is one of many activities and events that are taking place throughout UEFA's 50th birthday year. These include publications, videos, grassroots events and special ceremonies, many of which will feature European football greats of the past half-century.
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