Euro 2024 director Lahm satisfied with organization so far

Euro 2024 tournament director Philipp Lahm poses for a photo on the sidelines of a visit to the dpa editorial office. Britta Pedersen/dpa

Euro 2024 tournament director Philipp Lahm has drawn positive conclusions over the organization of the event so far, a week after it started.

But the 2014 World Cup champion also asked for understanding for any minor problems.

"Of course there are things can can be done better, things that can be adapted," he told broadcasters ARD on Friday.

Overall, however, he and his team are "very satisfied" with how everything is going.

In the first week of the tournament, many fans criticized the circumstances surrounding travel to and from the stadiums. The city of Gelsenkirchen in particular was heavily questioned as an appropriate venue for the Euros.

"When it comes to admission or transport - there are simply a lot of people," Lahm said. And it is "not always possible" to move them in the shortest possible time. Everyone should understand that not everything works perfectly when lots of people come together or want to go somewhere."

Even with the transportation issues, more than half of German fans described the atmosphere at the Euro 2024 as "exuberant" or "euphoric."

In a survey conducted by the research institute YouGov, only 10% of respondents said the atmosphere was "disinterested," while 13% described it as "reserved."

Some 30% said that the mood during the tournament is "exuberant" while 25% said it's "euphoric."

The German fans are for now in a honeymoon phase with the national team after it qualified to the last 16 following a 5-1 thrashing of Scotland and a 2-0 win against Hungary.

Germany complete the group stage on Sunday against Switzerland.

© Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH