Klagenfurt mayor Harald Scheucher thanked the German police officers who helped ensure that supporters enjoyed UEFA EURO 2008™ in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

German presence
The Wörthersee Stadion hosted three Group B matches involving Poland, Croatia and Germany, attracting 320,000 people to the Austrian city. A total of 3,300 police were on duty throughout, 400 of whom were German officers who had experienced the 2006 FIFA World Cup in their homeland. Following the final match day, Scheucher invited the officers to a dinner at the Schloss Maria Lorett, near the stadium, where he only had the utmost praise for their efforts during the tournament. "I would very much like to thank all of the officers for their fantastic work," he said. "You played a considerable role in ensuring UEFA EURO 2008™ will remain a wonderful memory. Klagenfurt was never as safe as it was during the tournament. Not as much as a flower stem was broken."

'Party atmosphere'
Police commissioner Wolfgang Rauchegger echoed the lord mayor's thoughts. "We had spent many years carefully preparing for UEFA EURO 2008™," he said. "We left nothing to chance and took absolutely no risks. It was our goal to encourage a party atmosphere but also to intervene immediately if problems were to occur." The approach was successful with many supporters requesting photographs with officers around the city. Rauchegger also revealed that the city left a lasting impression on his foreign colleagues. "It was fantastic to cooperate with our German colleagues," he added. "Many of the officers are now planning to spend their next holiday in Carinthia. Despite the work involved, they were able to enjoy the atmosphere during UEFA EURO 2008™ and would like to return."