England and Wales pipped for U21 event

England and Wales have lost their rival bids to host the 2013 European Under-21 Championships after UEFA chose Israel for the tournament. Israel won the vote by UEFA's executive committee in Nyon yesterday with Bulgaria and the Czech Republic the other bidders.

If England had won the bid, it would have made life much easier for the FA in terms of preparing a team for the London 2012 Olympics, which has an Under-23 limit with three over-age players permitted.

Had England been 2013 hosts they would not have needed to play in any of the Under-21 qualifying matches and could instead have played a series of Team GB friendlies in preparation for the Olympics.

Wales had bid to host the eight-team tournament at the grounds of Swansea and Cardiff, plus Llanelli's Parc Y Scarlets with the final at the Millennium Stadium.

Israeli FA chairman Avi Luzon hailed the decision as an "unprecedented achievement" for the country. "I am as excited and happy as I was when my first son was born, I hope that with this achievement Israeli soccer will receive a boost," said Luzon.

Israel had also been candidates to host this year's championships which will be hosted by Denmark. Stadiums under construction in Haifa, Netanya and Petah Tikva are due to be ready in time and the 60-year-old National Stadium in Tel Aviv is also set for rebuilding.