Joining forces

Smaller nations hope for chance to host Euro 2008

GENEVA (AP) -- Europe's smaller soccer nations may struggle to make their mark on the pitch. By joining forces with their neighbors, they're hoping to play host to the continent's biggest tournament.

A bid by four Nordic countries and the joint application by Austria and Switzerland are believed to be the front-runners in the race to stage the 2008 European Championship.

The winner will be announced Thursday by European soccer body UEFA.

There are three more joint bids among the other five challengers -- Scotland and Ireland, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Greece and Turkey. Two single countries, Hungary and Russia, also are in the running.

The Austria-Switzerland bid claims increasing support from the population of the two Alpine neighbors, with officials saying they expect all stadiums to be filled for the tournament.

"The population of both countries, from the government down to the ball boy, are solidly behind our candidature," Austrian President Thomas Klestil said.

The "Nordic 2008" proposal by Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway is the first bid in soccer history to involve more than two countries. The plan is to hold matches in two cities in each country, with the opening match in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, and the final in the Swedish city of Goteborg.

One potential problem for the Nordic bid: Sweden held the European Championship on its own in 1992, and some people feel it is too soon to host the event again.

Turkey and Greece are looking at their bid as a chance to enhance relations between two traditional regional rivals which have come to the brink of war three times in the past 30 years.

"This candidacy could mark the beginning of much cooperation between the two countries," said Senol Gunes, Turkey's national coach.

However, the first-ever competitive soccer match between clubs from the two countries was marred by crowd violence when Turkey's Fenerbache played Panathinaikos in a UEFA Cup game in Istanbul on Oct. 31.

The so-called "Celtic Bid" of Scotland and Ireland is relying on the countries' reputation for passionate soccer fans along with stadiums that are largely already built.

"We have the top stadia that can provide more than adequate facilities for this event and we have emotional fans unrivaled throughout the world," bid director John Henderson said.

Munib Usanovic, secretary-general of Bosnia's soccer association, said its joint bid with Croatia would be important economically for both countries.

"It is a reality that other candidates are much stronger than we are in economic, infrastructure and manpower terms," he said. "But when we were candidates for the 1984 Winter Olympics ... we didn't have anything, but in the end we had everything."

Croatia wanted to have its bid presented by some of its sporting stars, such as tennis player Goran Ivanisevic or skier Janica Kostelic. But that was rejected by UEFA, which said only officials from the national soccer association could participate.

After a failed bid with Austria for Euro 2004 and unsuccessful talks for a joint bid with Croatia this time, Hungary decided to bid for Euro 2008 on its own this time.

Bid officials say the one-country event will make organization easier, with only one language, one tax system and one currency.

Hungary insists that its economy is developing at a rapid rate and by 2008 it will have the infrastructure to handle an event as big as the European Championship.

Russia has shown increased interest in hosting major sporting events in recent years and made its bid despite concerns within the government about the cost.

Under the motto "We deserve it," Moscow organizers stress the long tradition of soccer in the country -- Russia won the first European Championship in 1960 -- and the huge enthusiasm of the fans.

The bid foresees eight locations in western Russia, from St. Petersburg in the north to Krasnodar in the south.

The bids will be presented on Wednesday to UEFA's National Teams Committee. That committee will report its assessment to the UEFA Executive Committee, which will reduce the field to two or three and then vote to decide the winner.

Members of the Executive Committee from countries that are bidding are ineligible to vote. That means the decision will be made by eight men: Angel Maria Villar Llona of Spain; Geoffrey Thompson of England; Mathieu Sprengers of the Netherlands; Marios Lefkaritis of Cyprus; Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder of Germany; Joseph Mifsud of Malta; Michel Platini of France; and Henri Roemer of Luxembourg.

If the final vote is split evenly, the chairman -- likely Villar Llona -- has the casting vote.

The European Championship were jointly hosted for the first time in 2000 in Belgium and the Netherlands. The experiment was repeated this year for the World Cup finals in Japan and South Korea. Euro 2004 will take place in Portugal.

Bids for the 2008 European Championship

Seven bids from 14 countries have been submitted to host the 2008 European Championship, with the winner to be selected Thursday by UEFA. Here is a brief look at each bid:

AUSTRIA-SWITZERLAND

All but one of the stadiums would be a "pure football" arena, without a running track that puts spectators further from the action. The provisional budget is 170 million Swiss francs (US$116 million).

Both countries have extensive transport networks that organizers believe will overcome the fact that Geneva in western Switzerland is 1,000 kilometers (625 miles) from Vienna in the east.

Locations: Austria -- Vienna (capacity 50,000), Innsbruck (30,000), Salzburg (32,000), Klagenfurt (40,000). Switzerland -- Basel (30,000), Zurich (40,000), Bern (40,000), Geneva (30,000).

www.austria.switzerland-euro2008.com

CROATIA-BOSNIA HERZEGOVINA

Organizers plan to have all stadiums and infrastructure finished by 2006, two years ahead of the tournament. They are relying on making a profit on the event and leaving themselves with a long-term legacy of high-quality stadiums.

Locations: (to be confirmed) Croatia -- Zagreb, Rijeka, Osijek, Split. Bosnia -- Sarajevo, Mostar, Zenica, Tuzla, Banja Luka, Bihac.

GREECE-TURKEY

Greece is relying on stadiums and infrastructure it is building for the 2004 Olympic Games and hopes to put to use the experience it gains during that event.

In Turkey, a new stadium is planned in Antalya to join the recently completed stadium in Istanbul. Two others would be renovated.

The cost of renovation and construction is estimated at US$140 million.

Locations: Turkey -- Ankara (41,100), Antalya (40,600), Istanbul (80,000), Izmir (63,000). Greece -- Athens (75,290), Heraklion (27,000), Patras (32,740), Thessaloniki (28,000).

www.hellas-turkiye2008.com

HUNGARY

Stressing the compact nature of the event, organizers say the largest distance between two host cities in the same group is 171 kilometers (107 miles). At least five new stadiums will be built and the others renovated, at a cost of 120 billion forints (US$511 million).

Locations: Budapest (62,500, 41.800), Debrecen (41,800), Gyor (31,250), Kaposvar (31,250), Miskolc (31,250), Szeged (31,250), Szekesfehervar (41,800).

www.euro-2008.hu

NORDIC

One group would be based in each country for the opening rounds and one quarterfinal in each country. The final stages would take place in Denmark and Sweden, with the final at the Ullevi Stadium in Goteborg.

Organizers say the mild climate of northern Europe is ideal for a soccer tournament to be held in June.

Under proposals put forward by the bid, only two places would be guaranteed for the four host countries, though the others would be able to qualify in the normal way.

Locations: Denmark -- Copenhagen (41,781, 30,920). Finland -- Helsinki (42,500), Tampere (32,000). Norway -- Oslo (31,240), Trondheim (30,849). Sweden -- Stockholm (41,530), Goteborg (60,650).

www.nordic2008.com

RUSSIA

The plan involves eight western cities all linked by the Volga River and its tributaries. This has led to the idea of using some 500 "floating hotels," where fans could watch a match in one city, return to their boat and wake up in another city ready for the next match. A smiling Volga sturgeon has been chosen as the official mascot.

Locations: St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kazan, Samara, Saratov, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don and Krasnodar.

www.eurorussia2008.com

SCOTLAND-IRELAND

The bid foresees the opening and closing matches at Hampden Park, the Scottish national stadium in Glasgow, and includes plans to build new stadiums in Dundee and Aberdeen. Ireland will have two stadiums in Dublin, probably including a new 80,000-seater Stadium Ireland.

Organizers say they already have the transport infrastructure to host this event, but that facilities will be even better by 2008.

Locations: (to be reduced to eight later) Scotland -- Glasgow (52,045, 60,501, 50,444), Aberdeen (31,400), Edinburgh (67,500, 34,880), Dundee (31,400). Ireland -- Dublin (35,000, 80,000, 69,211).

www.euro2008bid.com

 

Related information

Stories

Previews of all seven Euro 2008 bids

Multimedia

Visit Video Plus for the latest audio and video