³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ TV coverage
Although none of the home nations have qualified for Euro 2008, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ TV's coverage will still be as comprehensive and in-depth as ever to befit a major international tournament.
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The Match Of The Day teams, headed by Gary Lineker and Adrian Chiles, will present from a state-of-the-art studio in the historic centre of Vienna, a mere stone's throw from the Fan Mile – which proved so popular during the last World Cup in Germany – enabling them to capture all the colour and excitement of the event.
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In addition, Ray Stubbs will be out and about at the venues where he'll be reflecting the atmosphere prior to the match, at half-time and post-match. He'll be accompanied at the stadiums by a guest – the likes of Marcel Desailly or another name with relevance to that particular match – to bounce off and get a real feel for the occasion.
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Kick-off times are either 5.00pm or 7.45pm, with a later time for all matches after the group stages have ended. All the games will be available in HD. The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's coverage will run from either 4.45-7.00pm or 7.30-10.00pm.
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For the later games there will be around 25 minutes to fill before the news and the plan is to show highlights from the early game, along with features that will appeal to a wider audience and try to relect the heritage and culture of Austria and Switzerland and capture the feel and emotion of the tournament.
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Football Focus on Saturdays will also come from Vienna and there will be a special series of World Focus on ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World with a dozen magazine-style programmes presented by Jake Humphrey. There are plans for a behind-the-scenes video diary which will be shown on World Focus as well as online and via the red button.
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The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's most popular experts – including Alan Hansen, Mark Lawrenson, Alan Shearer and Mark Bright – will be joined by leading names from the world of football including Marcel Desailly and Gordon Strachan for their in-depth knowledge and analysis and lively debate.
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There will also be three roving reporters picking up stories and covering press conferences – two based in Switzerland and one in Austria. In addition an on-the-road HD crew will be able to move around quickly to capture quirky features for those post-9.30pm slots on Match Of The Day.
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"We're expecting Euro 2008 to be a bit of a slow burner, but once it gets going the interest will be as big as ever," says executive producer Phil Bigwood.
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"There are still lots of big names taking part and the quality of football tends to be better than in the World Cup as it's a more concentrated event, with fewer than half the matches, leading to a more flamboyant style of play.
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"We're covering the first game and the last exclusively and we also have some really big, hotly anticipated games such as France v Italy, Germany v Poland and France v Holland, so even without England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland to cheer on it looks set to be an absolute treat for fans."
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³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ TV on-air team
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Presenters:
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- Gary Lineker
- Adrian Chiles
- Ray Stubbs
- Jake Humphrey
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Studio experts:
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- Alan Hansen
- Alan Shearer
- Lee Dixon
- Gavin Peacock
- Marcel Desailly
- Gordon Strachan
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Commentators:
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- John Motson
- Jonathan Pearce
- Steve Wilson
- Guy Mowbray
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Roving reporters:
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- Garth Crooks
- Jacqui Oatley
- Damian Johnson
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Co-commentators:
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- Mark Lawrenson
- Mark Bright
- Gavin Peacock
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