High hopes for Europe - UEFA Direct 178 out now

The FIFA World Cup is just around the corner – and UEFA Direct has its eye on Europe’s hopefuls as they embark on their adventure in Russia.

Issue 178 of UEFA’s official magazine looks at all of the 14 contenders from this continent and assesses their chances of following Germany (2014), Spain (2010) and Italy (2006) into the honours list of European winners of the competition.

Russia has worked tirelessly to prepare for the first World Cup finals to take place in Eastern Europe. UEFA Direct looks at the work that has been ongoing to get the infrastructures in place to welcome the teams, guests, fans and visitors to the country.

UEFA Direct is available to read in English, French and German©UEFA

The UEFA #EqualGame campaign continues to do a fine job in promoting diversity, inclusion and accessibility in football. The focus, in words and pictures, falls on Oleksandr Fomichov, a Ukrainian who works for the League of Tolerance charity, whose aim is to teach people about common values and the importance of inclusion – using football’s power to improve people’s lives. 

Football is the world’s most popular sport both on and off the field – and the challenge is to keep it that way, given the wide range of activities that are available to people nowadays. UEFA Direct looks at how the European body’s GROW programme is striving to help Europe’s national associations improve and further develop participation levels.

The section for the coaching community, The Technician, features Marcel Koller, the Swiss coach who was the toast of Austria when he took the national team to the UEFA EURO 2016 finals. Koller talks about his career and experiences, his leadership style, and the evolution of the modern game.

Elsewhere in UEFA Direct 178

• Reviews of the UEFA Youth League and UEFA Futsal Cup finals

• The role of the UEFA match delegate

• How football is aiding refugees

• News from the member associations

UEFA Direct is available to read in English, French and German