Scotland in race for Euro 2020 but viability of bid is a ‘concern’

SCOTLAND have formally joined forces with Wales and Republic of Ireland to declare an interest in co-hosting the 2020 European Championship finals.

• Michel Platini thought to be keen on Celtic bid in order to avoid solo Turkey bid

• SFA and Scottish government yet to be fully convinced by proposal

• Georgia have also expressed interest in hosting tournament

But, while tonight’s midnight deadline to register the potential bid with Uefa has been met, The Scotsman understands both the SFA and Scottish government have yet to be convinced of the merits of fully committing to the project.

Uefa president Michel Platini is believed to welcome the three Celtic nations combining as he was keen to avoid Turkey emerging as the sole bidder for the 2020 tournament.

The Turks, who narrowly lost out to France in the bidding process for Euro 2016, formally announced their interest for 2020 last month. But, as Turkey is also bidding to stage the 2020 Olympic Games, there is shared concern at Uefa and the International Olympic Committee over the possibility of both major events being held in the same country. A third declaration of interest came from Georgia yesterday, the former Soviet state having given up on a previously mooted joint bid with Azerbaijan. Detailed final bid requirements will be distributed by Uefa in April 2013 before the tournament hosts are chosen later that year or early in 2014.

“We can confirm that we have had initial discussions on the principle of a joint bid with both Wales and the Republic of Ireland and have declared our interest to Uefa in order that we can fully explore the opportunity in more detail,” said an SFA spokesperson. “At this stage no bids are expected by Uefa in relation to Euro 2020. These will not be required for at least 18 months.”

The Scotsman has learned that leading figures within the SFA remain concerned the bid would prove to be impractical and difficult to fund sufficiently. Scotland previously failed in a joint bid with the Irish for Euro 2008, while a proposed bid with Wales for Euro 2016 was not pursued. The European Championship finals will be extended to 24 teams from 2016, meaning any bids will require 10 suitable stadiums. Hampden, Ibrox, Celtic Park and Murrayfield all meet the criteria in Scotland, along with the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff and both Croke Park and the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Stewart Regan, the chief executive of the SFA, held informal discussions with Shona Robison, the Minister for Commonwealth Games and Sport, earlier today and it has been agreed to further explore the practicalities and possible benefits of a bid.

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) said in a statement: “The FAI has confirmed that it will join the Scottish FA and the Welsh FA in putting forward an expression of interest to host Uefa Euro 2020. The expression of interest is preliminary after the principle was discussed and is being put forward by the three associations so that the opportunity can be explored in more detail. At this stage no bids would be expected or required by Uefa for at least 18 months.”

Jonathan Ford, the chief executive of the Football Association of Wales, stressed the countries had not yet submitted a bid. “It is not a bid, it’s a declaration of interest and that will allow us to obtain the information from Uefa so that we can fully assess and determine, independently and together, whether we should submit a bid,” said Ford.