Euro 2024 tournament director Philipp Lahm has drawn positive conclusions over the organization of the event so far, a week after it started, but he was late for Friday's first match due to train problems.
The 2014 Germany World Cup-winning captain asked for understanding.
"Of course there are things can can be done better, things that can be adapted," he told broadcaster 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 and the time it took at turnstiles. 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." Security checks are also paramount.
He was late for the Ukraine v Slovakia game in Dusseldorf because his train was late - a common complaint from Germans in recent years in contrast to the popular image of punctuality and efficiency.
He was meant to do a pre-match broadcast with Magenta but presenter Florian König said: "Greetings to Philipp Lahm, if he hopefully makes it here to Dusseldorf and to the stadium."
Main German train operator Deutsche Bahn apologized to Lahm.
"We are sorry that Philipp Lahm did not make it to the game on time. At least he was able to watch the second half in the stadium. Sorry, dear Philipp Lahm," a spokesperson told dpa.
Even with the transport issues, more than half of Germans polled have described the atmosphere at Euro 2024 as "exuberant" or "euphoric."
In a survey by YouGov, only 10% of respondents said the atmosphere was "disinterested," while 13% described it as "reserved."
The poor weather means it has not yet matched the "summer fairytale" of the home 2006 World Cup but the Germany team want to change that.
The national side qualified for 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 and are now among the favourites for overall Euro glory.
The German Red Cross is also satisfied after the first week.
"The work of the German Red Cross has been professional, calm and there have been no major incidents," said its head René Burfeindt.
In the 16 matches attended by the German Red Cross so far, 641 medical treatments and care have been provided in the stadiums, with ambulance transport required in 71 cases.
"We hope that sport and enjoyment can continue to take centre stage as the tournament progresses," said Burfeindt.
"Our volunteer and full-time emergency services will definitely continue to do everything they can to ensure that this summer of football continues so beautifully and safely."
