MUMBAI: The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has signed a radio agreement with Uefa for the European Football Championship in 2008.

Under the agreement, public service radio broadcasters will have access to technical reporting facilities at each of the matches in next summers tournament. The agreement covers radio broadcasters in 15 countries who were not already included in existing TV contracts for the tournament.

The EBU radio director, Raina Konstantinova, said the EBU was fulfilling its public service mission by ensuring that coverage of the event could reach the widest possible audience.

Konstantinova says, This is good for radio and good for football. Broadcasters who could not otherwise have covered the event will be able to offer their audiences live, delayed and on-demand reports from the most important sport competition in Europe this year.

Football fans in 15 countries will now be able to enjoy the tournament anytime, any place and anywhere thanks to the power of radio."

EBU Radio Sport Group chairman Per Josefson says, This is the biggest success for the EBU Radio Department in many, many years and certainly during my time as Chairman of the Radio Sport Group.

The territories covered by the radio agreement include Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the Ukraine.