by Compo's Hat »
26 May 2010 19:35
Three countries in the running to host the tournement which is announced on Friday.
France plan stadium overhaul to host Euro 2016
Reuters - Yesterday, 14:06
PARIS - France football chiefs are ready to invest 1.7 billion euros to build the stadiums fit to stage Euro 2016 but concede they are not favourites to win the go-ahead this week by governing body UEFA.
Turkey and Italy, also in the running before UEFA's verdict scheduled for Friday, are certainly not taken lightly by French Football Federation (FFF) communications director Pierre-Jean Golven.
"We know we have our chances and have a strong bid but we remain very humble," Golven told Reuters in an interview.
Appropriate infrastructure, a much-needed plan to build and renovate stadiums and a network of potential volunteers coming from the country's many football clubs are the reasons why France can be reasonably confident, he said.
"We think those are our three main trump cards," Golven added.
France are hoping a successful Euro 2016 bid will help them address the stadium issue, with many arenas in the country too old or too small, and are planning to invest a massive 1.7 billion euros in that programme alone.
"This is more than what Germany invested for the 2006 World Cup and 60 percent of that money will come from private investors, which is a guarantee in times of crisis making public money harder to get," Golven said.
MAJOR EVENTS
France have demonstrated they are capable of organising major events by staging the 1998 football World Cup and the 2007 rugby World Cup, as well as the world athletics championships in 2003 and the world Alpine skiing championships last year.
"We were also able to give UEFA guarantees in terms of security and infrastructure and we can assure them that the event would be profitable if it were staged in France," Golven said.
European football's ruling body were also assured that the French government totally supported the bid when a UEFA delegation met President Nicolas Sarkozy and Prime Minister Francois Fillon during an inspection visit in March.
"I think they received all the guarantees they needed," Golven said.
A successful bid, he added, would also boost employment.
"It would create 15,000 jobs in the building and renovation phase and 4,000 stable ones after the championship to operate the stadiums," he said.
Turkey offers new markets for Euro 2016
Reuters - Yesterday, 14:06
ISTANBUL - Turkey's fast-growing economy and young population would inject energy and provide new markets for European football if it were to host the Euro 2016 football championships, its bid manager told Reuters.
Turkey is up against France and Italy, both of which have hosted European championships and two World Cups each, as they prepare for UEFA's announcement of the host in Geneva on May 28.
Turkey, applying for a third time, has never hosted a major football tournament and points to its reputation for hospitality, its location between East and West and its Muslim identity as contributing to UEFA's mission to integrate cultures.
It is also an economy which, while hit by global economic turmoil last year, has been growing some 6 percent annually since a 2001 financial crisis.
"The growing economy is very important because you need some energy. You need some energy for Europe, for European football," its Euro 2016 bid manager Orhan Gorbon said in an interview.
Turkey's plans would involve major investment in the Muslim, secular country, which is seeking European Union membership and which has a population of 73 million.
"We love football, but on the other hand our facilities are rather old and this is a reality," he said.
According to its bid proposal Turkey would build six new stadiums in Ankara, Izmir, Bursa, Konya, Antalya and Eskisehir, and renovate a stadium in Kayseri.
Istanbul's Olympic Stadium will be renovated and the new Galatasaray stadium, under construction, will also be used.
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, an avid footballer in his youth, has given his full backing to the bid, pledging almost 1 billion euros of funding.
YOUTH HELP
Gorbon said the energy of the country's youth would help deliver the tournament. He noted that half of the population is younger than 30 years old and 26 percent younger than 14.
"It is a very young market and that is what you want. You want young people to fall in love with football, to absorb fair play, to absorb respect," said Gorbon, who is also deputy general secretary of the Turkish Football Federation.
UEFA has said more than 100 criteria, from stadiums and accommodation to legal matters would be examined in considering where to hold the tournament.
Massive infrastructure investment would have to be made.
UEFA's bid evaluation report said building seven new stadiums was a challenging aspect of the bid and attendance figures would need to be raised in the short-term to ensure profitable stadium operations.
It said new transport links would need to be delivered, requiring multi-billion dollar investment, while the accommodation situation of four of the Turkish cities was critical.
It will be the first European Championship to feature 24 teams, eight more than will compete in 2012 when Poland and Ukraine co-host the event.
"I would call it a historical decision. If we win this bid ... I think it will be remembered that European football gained a lot of assets, a great legacy, a great future," Gorbon said.
Italy learn from mistakes for Euro 2016 bid
Reuters - Yesterday, 14:06
MILAN - Italy's bid for Euro 2016 has been so low profile that many Italians do not even know the country is in the running.
Behind the scenes though, Italian football federation officials have been touring Europe trying to garner support from other associations in the face of competition from France and Turkey.
A final big push for Friday's vote in Geneva will also involve former Italy and AC Milan defender Paolo Maldini, one of the most respected figures in the game, as bid ambassador.
The Italians were bitterly disappointed to miss out in the bidding for Euro 2012, especially as UEFA decided to take a gamble on Ukraine and Poland rather than rely on a footballing super power.
Much soul-searching followed with Italy's ageing stadiums, mostly unchanged since the 1990 World Cup, and problems with fan violence being blamed for the defeat. Trying to resolve these issues has been fundamental to the work on the 2016 bid.
A new law going through Italy's parliament is designed to make it easier for new stadiums to be built while a crackdown on domestic football violence has been largely successful with better stewarding enforced.
Bid officials feel the work done to improve fan behaviour reflects favourably compared with their rivals.
"France and Turkey have had examples of violence this season linked to football, indeed with a death in France and one in Turkey," Italian bid director Michele Uva told reporters.
"Our bid is strong as it is about infrastructure and the great welcome of the Italian people which would make Euro 2016 unforgettable."
Italian media outlets have only had snippets of coverage of the bid as the country tries to limit expectations to avoid disappointment again.
JUVENTUS STADIUM
The bid only really caused a stir early on in the process when federation president Giancarlo Abete talked up the possibility of a joint proposal with France given the competition is being expanded to 24 teams but the idea was quickly forgotten.
Bari, Cagliari, Cesena, Florence, Milan, Naples, Palermo, Parma, Rome, Turin, Udine and Verona have been selected as 12 potential host cities which would be whittled down to nine for the tournament.
New stadiums are due in Turin, Sardinian capital Cagliari and Sicilian capital Palermo while all others will be renovated.
Inter Milan have been mulling the idea of a new stadium but the 80,000-seater San Siro which they share with AC Milan is the arena included in the bid.
Rome's Stadio Olimpico, which hosted the 2009 Champions League final and also holds 80,000, would hold the Euro 2016 final.
