Elite forum in Nyon

Once a year the best coaches in club football come together with the European federation to discuss the latest trends and talk to UEFA about their visions of club football. Werder head coach Thomas Schaaf regularly accepts the invitation to Nyon, Switzerland, just as he did this year. "Just like always it was a very interesting event. It offers a chance to have a good, friendly relationship with the coaches. Many topics were discussed, the exchange was excellent. It was definitely a positive two days," said Schaaf about the 14th UEFA elite coaching forum.

The discussions and exchange of ideas at UEFA's headquarters in Nyon focused on the level of the European cup competitions, the quality of the referees and the changing role of coaches today. "A special issue was a recap of the EURO 2012. In addition, UEFA referee head Pierluigi Collina was there for the first time. He talked about refereeing in general and specifically about the new angles referees have with the additional officials, for example at the European Championship," said Schaaf about the meeting.

In addition to Schaaf, a number of other well-known coaches took part in the forum in Nyon: Massimiliano Allegri (AC Milan), Carlo Ancelotti (Paris Saint-Germain), Frank de Boer (AFC Ajax), John van den Brom (RSC Anderlecht), Unai Emery (FC Spartak Moscow), René Girard (HSC Montpellier), Kasper Hjulmand (FC Nordsjælland), Leonardo Jardim (Olympiakos Piraeus), Jorge Jesus (Benfica Lisbon), Ivan Jovanoviæ (APOEL Nicosia), Jürgen Klopp (Borussia Dortmund), Mircea Lucescu (FC Shakhtar Donetsk), Roberto Di Matteo (FC Chelsea), José Mourinho (Real Madrid), Vítor Pereira (FC Porto), Diego Simeone (Atlético Madrid), Luciano Spalletti (FC Zenit St. Petersburg), Fatih Terim (Galatasaray Istanbul), Tito Vilanova (FC Barcelona) and Arsène Wenger (FC Arsenal).