UEFA Celebration Match

The UEFA Celebration Match was a football match played at Old Trafford, Manchester, on 13 March 2007 as a celebration of both the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome, which laid the foundations for the European Union, and the first participation of Manchester United F.C. in UEFA competitions. Manchester United won the match 4–3 against a Europe XI managed by Italian World Cup-winning manager Marcello Lippi. All the hosts' goals came before half-time (two from Wayne Rooney, and one from Wes Brown and one from Cristiano Ronaldo), Florent Malouda scored for the Europe XI midway through the first half and El Hadji Diouf scored twice in the second.

The match was televised live on BBC Three in the United Kingdom and also streamed live via the BBC Online website. Proceeds from the match went to Manchester United's charity, the Manchester United Foundation; in total, £1.25 million was raised. The match was officiated by German referee Markus Merk, whose assistants came from three other European countries.

Background

The match was first announced by UEFA at a press conference immediately following the derby match between Manchester United and Manchester City on 9 December 2006. The European Union proposed the idea to UEFA as a way of recognising the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, which was signed on 25 March 1957 and laid the foundations for a united Europe and the European Union itself. A football match was chosen as the showpiece event as the way football brings people of all different nationalities together was viewed as a symbolic representation of how Europe was brought together politically. José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, said, "The best of European football will be on show in Manchester next March to mark the 50th anniversary of the creation of the European Union. There is no better way to showcase the European Union at 50 than through Europe's favourite sport that unites Europeans in a unique way, through a passion we all share and a language we all speak."

Manchester United became involved in the project as they were also celebrating the 50th anniversary of their involvement in UEFA competitions; in 1956–57, they became England's first representatives in the European Cup under the management of Matt Busby, who guided his team to their first European title in 1968. A Europe XI was selected as their opposition for the match, featuring players of various nationalities from some of Europe's biggest clubs. This team would be managed by Italian coach Marcello Lippi, with UEFA Technical Director Andy Roxburgh as his assistant. Lippi said, "I accepted the invitation immediately. I'm delighted by the prospect of such a game and I am already looking forward to taking on my great friend anchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson." Former Manchester United midfielder David Beckham was the first player to be invited to play in the match, and he later said of his involvement, "I'm happy I'm going to play on 13 March. It will be something special to go back to Old Trafford, and I'm really looking forward to it."

Pre-match

Ticketing

Although the capacity of Old Trafford at the time was over 76,000, this was substantially reduced for the game due to the installation of two giant screens that would show a pre-match video featuring clips of Manchester United's involvement in European matches over the previous 50 years. By the weekend before the game, 70,000 tickets had been sold at £17 for adults, half-price for over-65s and £5 for under-16s. The capacity for the match was reportedly capped at 72,000; however, the attendance recorded was in excess of 74,000. Proceeds from ticket sales went towards the Manchester United Foundation, a group working towards improving the lives of young people in the local community using football.

Officials

Reflecting the various nations of Europe, the officials for the match came from four different countries. The referee, Markus Merk from Germany, had previously taken charge of the 2003 UEFA Champions League Final – also at Old Trafford – as well as the 1997 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final, and was the German representative at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, and at the 2000 and 2004 European Championships, refereeing the final in 2004. Merk's assistants were Italian Alessandro Griselli and Belgian Mark Simons, while the fourth official was Howard Webb of England.

Team selection

The first player to be added to the Europe XI squad was former Manchester United midfielder David Beckham, then of Real Madrid. After being invited in December 2006, he confirmed his attendance in February 2007. He was followed soon after by Liverpool players Steven Gerrard

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