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Russia’s Andrei Arshavin named among 34 ambassadors for 2020 UEFA Euro Cup

The Russian forward is the three-time champion of Russia, the holder of Russia’s 2008 Super Cup, the Cup of the 2003 Premier League , the Cup of UEFA (2008) and the Super Cup of UEFA in 2008

Andrei Arshavin Sergei Fadeichev/TASS

Andrei Arshavin

© Sergei Fadeichev/TASS

MOSCOW, March 21. /TASS/. Russian national football team’s former forward Andrei Arshavin was named as one of 34 ambassadors from 12 European countries for the 2020 UEFA Euro Cup, the press service of the Union of European Football Associations announced on Thursday.

Former player of the Russian national team Arshavin also played for Zenit St. Petersburg FC between 2000 and 2008 as well as in 2013-2015. He played a total of 376 matches with Zenit having scored 80 goals.

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In 2009-2013 Arshavin, who turns 38 in May, played 144 matches as part of London’s Arsenal FC having scored a total of 31 goals for the English club.

The Russian forward is the three-time champion of Russia (2007, 2012, 2015), the holder of Russia’s Super Cup (2008), the Cup of the Premier League (2003), the Cup of UEFA (2008) and the Super Cup of UEFA (2008).

2020 UEFA Euro Cup

The matches of the 2020 Euro Cup will be held at stadiums in cities of 12 different European countries, namely in London (England), Munich (Germany), Rome (Italy), Baku (Azerbaijan), Saint Petersburg (Russia), Bucharest (Romania), Amsterdam (The Netherlands), Dublin (Ireland), Bilbao (Spain), Budapest (Hungary), Glasgow (Scotland) and Copenhagen (Denmark).

Russia’s second largest city of St. Petersburg was granted the right to host three group stage matches and one of the quarterfinals of the 2020 UEFA Euro Cup.

The decision to hold the 2020 Euro Cup, which will be celebrating its 60th anniversary that year, in various European countries instead of in one or two hosting countries was made at the UEFA Executive Committee’s meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, on December 6, 2012.

A total of 24 national football teams will be playing in the final tournament of the 2020 Euro Cup. All 55 UEFA national member teams, including 12 teams from the hosting countries, will have to play in the qualifying matches to vie for the berth in the final 24-team lineup of the quadrennial European football championship.

It is possible that some of the national teams from the hosting countries of the 2020 Euro Cup will not be playing on home soil in case they fail to clear the qualifying stage.

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