Turkey Confirms Bid For Euro 2020

The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) on Tuesday submitted its bid to UEFA to host Euro 2020, with questions marks continuing to surround how the proposal will fit in with Istanbul’s tilt at the 2020 Olympic Games.

TFF president Yildirim Demiroren said the Turkish government has backed projects to ramp up the construction of modern football stadia in several cities and to improve transportation infrastructure in the country with an eye toward the bid. “We will spend every effort to host the European Championship in Turkey,” said Demiroren. Speaking during Istanbul’s staging of last month’s UEFA Congress, Turkey’s Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan stated his support for a bid, adding that plans are underway to develop 18 new stadia across the country. He said: “We are catching up in terms of infrastructure. Turkey has a young population half of whom are aged under 30. Turkey has great potential on the economic and sporting fronts.”

In February, UEFA was forced to dismiss reports that president Michel Platini had promised Turkey it would stage Euro 2020. Turkish media had reported that Platini issued assurances to the TFF that it would succeed with what would be its fourth successive bid for the European Championships. The reports came after France landed Euro 2016 ahead of Turkey in acrimonious circumstances in May 2010. Turkish officials were angered when UEFA’s Executive Committee voted 7-6 in favour of France, after Italy’s bid was eliminated in the first round.

Istanbul is competing against Baku, Doha, Madrid, Rome and Tokyo to stage the 2020 Olympic Games, with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) set to choose a shortlist of candidates on May 23 before making a final decision on September 7, 2013. A successful bid from Istanbul would likely result in the TFF withdrawing from the race for Euro 2020. Indeed, Ugur Erdener, president of the Turkish Olympic Committee, stressed on Friday that any bid for Euro 2020 would not threaten the Olympic bid.

“In the Istanbul 2020 application file, Turkey made a clear commitment not to host any other event around the 2020 Games,” he said. “This commitment was supported by our Prime Minister. It is part of the host city contract and it is a binding commitment on behalf of Turkey.” UEFA is set to make a decision on the destination of Euro 2020 in late 2013 or early 2014, with Turkey’s proposal the first official bid for the tournament.

Source: sportbusiness.com