Scots and Welsh may bid to host Euro 2016
Reuters - Wednesday 03 December 2008, 12:01
Scotland and Wales have held
"tentative talks" about the possibility of hosting the European
soccer championship in 2016, the Scottish FA said on Wednesday.
Officials from Northern Ireland are also expected to be
included in further discussions at the end of February as the
three British associations explore the possibility of hosting
the tournament in eight years time.
"To suggest that we are planning to launch a bid is wide of
the mark, but we have had tentative talks with the Welsh and
further talks are planned with Northern Ireland when the
International Board meets in Belfast at the end of February," a
Scottish FA spokesman said.
"We all know none of us can stage a 24-team tournament as it
will be in 2016 but we are exploring the possibility of
co-hosting."
UEFA, European soccer's governing body, decided in September
to increase the number of finalists from 16 to 24 teams from
2016.
UEFA's general secretary David Taylor, himself a Scot who
was part of an unsuccessful bid to bring Euro 2008 to Scotland
and Ireland, said Scotland would be a "great place" to hold the
tournament.
"It would be terrific," he told The Herald newspaper in
Glasgow. "But I must be careful here. My enthusiasm for and
advice to any country could be perceived in the wrong way. Many
countries in UEFA are capable of hosting the tournament."
Three of the last four European championships have been
co-hosted with Belgium and Netherlands staging Euro 2000,
Austria and Switzerland hosting this year's championship and
Ukraine and Poland due to co-host the event in 2012.
Portugal were sole hosts in 2004 although UEFA have admitted
that increasing the number of finalists to 24 teams will limit
the number of countries who could host the tournament on their
own in the future.