Uefa, FAI and Atalanta put on a Europa League final show

It was a day which began with air-gapped being introduced to the glossary of Irish football but nothing was going to suck the oxygen from this occasion.

Whereas all that’s consuming the thoughts of locals is the prolonged search for an Irish manager the new interim chief executive David Courell was previously sidelined from, the gaze of the world was on Dublin and Ireland for global football purposes.

This was an event estimated to be watched by 150 million people in 200 territories worldwide, second only in a club context to its big brother the Champions League.

Uefa don’t distinguish between the two; applying their full rigour by taking ownership of not just the venue but areas of the city.

Leinster being forced to switch their Champions Cup semi-final to Croke Park three weeks was a consequence of the hosting but the fruits of the labour was clear from the transformation of the venue. That’s the Dublin Arena, not the Aviva Stadium.

Perhaps it’s obvious why they protect their commercial partners so rigidly when the resources are so deep to manage these events.

Right down to the litter bins, every visible surface was recovered with Uefa branding. A battalion of Uefa’s handlers, noticeable by their sharp blue suits, creaseless white shirts and slightly polka dot ties patrolled the various rooms from press conferences to mixed zones and hospitality to ensure protocols were followed.

It wasn’t all finicky and futile. An external viewpoint may have resulted in the FAI being taught some simpler and nimbler routes to deploy around the cavernous underbelly of their residence.

The venue that hosted last year’s European Rugby final was bursting at the seams to cope with the demand of worldwide media. Never in the 14 years since