‘With the eyes of the world on us, we had one chance to get it right...’
flat-out in sixth gear. Uefa sent 250 staff to cover the event themselves, so that puts into perspective what we achieved.
“We had one chance to get it right, with the whole world watching us.
“This is an event like no other. In the Euros you get four games to get it right. When the Rugby World Cup came to Cardiff there were eight matches, the Olympics too.
“Even for England versus Australia, there are five days to a Test match so if something goes wrong at first you can address it for the following day.
“The Champions League was a one-off chance, boom or bust. There was no hiding place.
“The FAW led but we had so many stakeholders and every one of those delivered on the project. They had previously brought the FA Cup, Heineken Cup, Rugby World Cup and Ryder Cup to Wales and at the outset I don’t think they realised how big this one actually was.
“That was understandable for people accustomed to watching the Champions League final on TV. It took a bit of adjusting to.” The Uefa verdict “Wales has a population as a country that is smaller than that of Berlin. So it’s human nature for people to criticise when a city the size of Cardiff gets a major sporting event like this.
“The Uefa individuals who delivered it for us were taking a big gamble. Small nation, there hadn’t been a Champions League before.
“They were trusting Cardiff with their crown jewel.
“Well these individuals should be patted on the back. They placed their confidence in us and the most pleasing thing for me is that we didn’t betray that trust by letting them down.
“Uefa were very happy. They commented upon not just how professional we were but also how hospitable.
“We made really good friends with Uefa staff. When you work on a major project like this it’s easy to fall out over a range of issues.
“Far from it – we were open and honest and ready to ask for help when necessary. There were no difficult discussions.
“There were a lot of plaudits coming our way afterwards from Uefa but to be honest I don’t think there’s been an event held in Wales that has not been a success.
“We take a lot of punches beforehand, people criticising and questioning our right to host the game, yet we keep on quietly delivering.
“Perhaps we don’t brag about it as others might or push ourselves enough. I guess we’re just a humble nation.” final here The special atmosphere “I was at the San Siro final last year and that was loud for the Madrid derby but this was on another level again.
“I guess Cardiff will always be