Backing the bid

Ireland to press ahead with plans to host Euro 2008

DUBLIN (Reuters) -- Ireland will go ahead with its joint bid with Scotland to host the 2008 European Championships, officials said on Thursday, but where the games will be played remained unclear.

A decision was taken at a late-night meeting on Wednesday where top government ministers agreed to back the joint bid.

"They [the government] confirmed to the Scottish First Minister's office that we're supportive of the FAI [Football Association of Ireland] bid to co-host the championships," a government spokesman said.

Thursday was the deadline for Ireland and Scotland to express their interest in making a bid to host the tournament.

It is uncertain, however, what venues would be used in Ireland, where the only two stadiums big enough are Lansdowne Road and Croke Park, both in Dublin.

Croke Park belongs to the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), which only allows Gaelic games to be played there.

Prime Minister Bertie Ahern has long promoted the construction of a new national stadium, which has come to be known as "the Bertie Bowl," at Abbotstown on the edge of Dublin.

The FAI also said it would prefer to play in a new stadium, and the Irish Rugby Football Union, whose Lansdowne Road home is atmospheric but hopelessly outdated, also want the project to go ahead.

"The preference of the FAI is for the government to give effect to its statement of 31st of January last that a national stadium is both desirable and feasible," FAI president Milo Corcoran said.

Spiraling costs

Spiraling costs, with a recent report putting its price tag at 890 million euros (US$767 million), or double the original estimate, caused a split between Ahern and the junior coalition partner Progressive Democrats.

The PD leader, deputy Prime Minister Mary Harney, saying the cost is prohibitive, had indicated she would only back the bid for the games on condition that the existing stadiums be used.

The government spokesman said the deadline to finalise details of the bid was the end of May.

"Between then and now the steering committee will be looking at the options for the necessary stadia," the spokesman said.

The government believes the GAA may well relent on its ban on soccer or rugby in Croke Park, thus permitting Ireland to use Lansdowne Road and "Croker" as its two venues.

But the picture is complicated by the position of the IRFU, which indicated in a statement later on Thursday that it may not be prepared to redevelop Lansdowne Road to meet UEFA's all-seater requirements if the "Bertie Bowl" does not go ahead.

Pointing out such a move would "significantly reduce the already limited capacity at Lansdowne Road," the IRFU said it could only happen "in the context of the government following through on its statement... that it remains convinced that a stadium project at Abbotstown is desirable and feasible."

"The IRFU are happy to continue with talks with the FAI and to accommodate the 2008 European Championships in accordance with UEFA's requirements so long as they have somewhere else to play," a spokesman told Reuters.

A motion to open Croke Park to "foreign sports" was narrowly rejected by the GAA's ruling congress last year, but is to consider the ban again at its annual meeting in April.

Ireland's sports minister Jim McDaid said in a statement the GAA had confirmed if its April congress lifts the ban on other sports "they will then be in a position to consider the request to accommodate some of the European championship games."

Switzerland, Austria confirm plans for joint bid

BERN, Switzerland -- Switzerland and Austria on Thursday confirmed to European soccer's governing body their intention to make a joint bid to host the European Championship in 2008.

The committee handed in its confirmation to UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, hours before the midnight (2300 GMT) deadline, a statement said. Scotland and Ireland submitted a separate joint bid. There have been reports that Scandinavian countries and Hungary are also interested in bidding.

"Austrians and Swiss are convinced, that in 2008 a great Euro can be held in eight state-of-the-art stadia," the committee said.

Four cities in each country would provide venues for the competition, it said. All the stadiums would "offer high security and comfort."

"In the heart of Europe it shall become a Euro of short distances, organized by two countries, that are traditionally and historically bound by culture, sports and football," the statement said.

It said the Austrian-Swiss motto for the bid will be: "Football's best close to you."

The Swiss cities that would take part are Zurich, Basel, Bern and Geneva. Each would have a new stadium if the bid is successful. Only the stadium in Basel is already finished, but construction is under way in Geneva an Bern.

The Austrian candidate cities comprise Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck and Klagenfurt. The 50,000-seat stadium in Vienna would be adapted so that it could host the final, a committee spokesman said. The stadium in Innsbruck would have to be expanded to hold 30,000 spectators. The Salzburg stadium is under construction and a new facility would be built in Klagenfurt if the bid succeeds, the spokesman said.

All bidders have to hand in a complete candidature plan to UEFA by the end of May. The UEFA Executive Committee is to choose the winning bid next December.

 

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.