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Euro 2008 joint bid gets UK Sport backing

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Shelly Beresford 14 March 2002

UK SPORT HAS confirmed that it will back the joint bid from the Scottish Football Association (SFA) and the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) to host the 2008 European Football Championships.

The Scottish Executive and the Irish Government, alongside the SFA and the FAI, have joined forces to bid to secure the rights to stage the event after the Irish Government gave its full support to the project in February.

UK Sport, which co-ordinates and supports bids to bring major sports events to Britain, is backing the bid with a Lottery grant of up to £320,000 from its World Class Events Programme.

Simon Lyons, Marketing Director for the Euro 2008 bid at the SFA, commented: "It's great to have an endorsement from UK Sport. It's fantastic to know that UK Sport is confident of our win-ability and has confirmed this confidence by supporting the bid."

Should the bid be successful, Scotland will host the tournament's opening match and final, as well as three of the four groups, three quarter-finals and a semi-final. Ireland would host the remaining group, one quarter-final and a semi-final.

UK SPORT'S DECISION to support the high-quality bid stems from its belief that it stacks up well against its competitors and sits comfortably with the organisation's commitment to bring major sporting events to the UK.

Sir Rodney Walker, Chairman of UK Sport, said: "UK Sport's World Class Events Programme has supported the staging of twenty European and World Championships in Britain over the last two years, with the injection of more than £2million of Lottery funding.

"Staging the European Football Championships, the second largest football tournament in the world, would bring massive benefits to both countries, from the economic investment to the legacy of sports development that lives on even after the event is over."

Scotland and Ireland, together with the six other candidates, take part in an exhibition at the UEFA Congress in Stockholm in April to demonstrate the strength of their bids to member associations, the public and the media. Detailed bidding documents have to be submitted by May 31 and UEFA will make inspection visits to each of the bidding countries between mid-August and October. A final decision is due to be taken by the UEFA Executive Committee in December.

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