Euro 2016 : "This logo is football, celebration and French culture" (Jacques Lambert)

"What we have tried to put in this logo is football, celebration and French culture," said Jacques Lambert, president of the Euro 2016 SAS (the joint venture in charge of organising the tournament), during the presentation ceremony of the 2016 European Championship's visual identity in Paris, on the 26/06/2013.

"We expect two things from this competition. First of all, a superb football tournament at the game's highest level. With 24 teams as opposed to 16, which is 60% more matches (51 instead of 31), it is very close to the World Cup format. We also have the ambition to create an event that leaves a legacy, like in 1984 and 1998 in particular. We want to celebrate and get everyone involved in our many and varied activities," added Lambert, who was the executive director of the 1998 World Cup organising committee.

• LOGO

"It was a collective decision, Michel Platini, UEFA's marketing director, UEFA's general secretary, me... The process took a year and a half. There were a dozen international agencies, of which four were French. This [logo] is the result of a long process. The…