UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin admits staging Europa League final just days after Manchester terror attack was hardest part of his first year in charge

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UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin admits that staging the Europa League final in the wake of the Manchester bomb attack was the hardest part of his first year in office.

Manchester United beat Ajax 2-0 in Stockholm in May to win the competition for the first time and clinch a place in this season’s Champions League.

But the match was overshadowed by the terrorist atrocity at the Manchester Arena just 48 hours earlier which left 22 dead and many more injured.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has been in charge of the organisation for a year

He says the hardest part of his time in charge came ahead of the Europa League final

UEFA toned down the celebrations around the Europa League final as a mark of respect to the victims, but Ceferin acknowledged that it was still difficult to go ahead with the game.

Speaking to mark his first year in the job, the 49-year-old Slovenian was asked to single out his most challenging moment over the last 12 months. He replied: ‘I would have to say it was the UEFA Europa League final in Stockholm, which was played just after the horrendous Manchester attacks.

Twenty two people lost their lives and many more injured after a terror attack in the city

‘It was very difficult for everyone to organise and play a football match at such a time. Our thoughts and those of the players were with the victims and their relatives, but in the end everyone agreed it was our common duty to show the world that we would not surrender.’ 

United won the game with goals from Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and returned to European action earlier this week when they marked their Champions League return with a 3-0 win over Basle.

Ceferin (c) plays football during the opening ceremony of a football field in Amman, Jordan