Jasper 157 Posted December 3, 2008 Share Posted December 3, 2008 SCOTS CONFIRM EURO 2016 BID The Scottish and Welsh football associations could enter into a joint bid for the 2016 European Championships after both confirmed "tentative" talks over co-hosting the event had taken place. Scotland's long-standing dream of staging the tournament appeared to have ended in September when UEFA announced they were increasing the number of finalists from 16 to 24 in eight years' time. The country lacks the infrastructure to host an expanded tournament but the Scottish FA are looking to link up with one of their near neighbours in the hope a joint bid will be successful. They have also held talks with Northern Ireland, but it is understood this is a non-starter, leaving Wales as the only viable alternative. In a statement released, the SFA said: "As we've always said, we would love to host the European Championships in Scotland. "However, we realise it's a huge undertaking and, as far as 2016 goes, we simply couldn't host it by ourselves. "We're meeting with the other Home Nations at the International Football Association board meeting in Belfast in February. I'm sure it's something we'll discuss. "If there was a feeling that a bid was a possibility, we would then commission a feasibility study." Talks between the SFA and the Football Association of Wales over a joint bid have been mooted for more than a year, with the FAW revealing in April 2007 they hoped to enter into discussions. But this is the first time the SFA have confirmed such talks have taken place. An FAW spokesman said "very tentative" discussions have been ongoing for some time. He added: "We are interested in the idea and it's a question of where it goes from there." Meanwhile, UEFA general secretary David Taylor insists Scotland would be a "great place" to hold the tournament. Former SFA chief executive Taylor, who was involved in the unsuccessful bid to bring Euro 2008 to Scotland and the Republic of Ireland, added in the Herald: "It would be terrific. But I must be careful here. "My enthusiasm for and advice to any country could be perceived in the wrong way. Many countries in UEFA are capable of hosting the tournament." UEFA decided in September to expand the European Championship finals from 2016. Current SFA chief executive Gordon Smith had lobbied for the change, despite admitting it would rule his country out of bidding individually for future tournaments. However, as the expansion gives Scotland a much better chance of qualifying, Smith felt it was a sacrifice worth making. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasper 157 Posted December 3, 2008 Author Share Posted December 3, 2008 And Skybet have us at 6/1 to host it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mac444 6 Posted December 3, 2008 Share Posted December 3, 2008 Thats bizarre, that was announced last night on my Football Manager game Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam 0 Posted December 3, 2008 Share Posted December 3, 2008 Thought Scotland should of done it em selves or not at all imo 3 massive stadiums in Glasgow 2 potential stadiums in Edingburgh with Hearts and Hibs expandin their main stands Potential with Falkirk's new stadium potential on expanding rugby park thats without mentioning Murrayfield then get a stadium opened in dundee which United and Dundee can share after the championships get Aberdeen's new Aberdeen Stadium which they've been planning the go ahead exploit Inverness' airport and get a stadium built there should do it ourselves it would totally help the Scottish game...imo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fixxxer 4 Posted December 3, 2008 Share Posted December 3, 2008 That's they canny qualify any other way Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasper 157 Posted December 3, 2008 Author Share Posted December 3, 2008 Thought Scotland should of done it em selves or not at all imo 3 massive stadiums in Glasgow 2 potential stadiums in Edingburgh with Hearts and Hibs expandin their main stands Potential with Falkirk's new stadium potential on expanding rugby park thats without mentioning Murrayfield then get a stadium opened in dundee which United and Dundee can share after the championships get Aberdeen's new Aberdeen Stadium which they've been planning the go ahead exploit Inverness' airport and get a stadium built there should do it ourselves it would totally help the Scottish game...imo Well firstly weve already tried that, and the bid fell at the first hurdle. And from 2016 theres gonna be an extra 8 teams in the competition, so unfortunately it just wouldnt work. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Manticore* 1,893 Posted December 3, 2008 Share Posted December 3, 2008 Thought Scotland should of done it em selves or not at all imo 3 massive stadiums in Glasgow 2 potential stadiums in Edingburgh with Hearts and Hibs expandin their main stands Potential with Falkirk's new stadium potential on expanding rugby park thats without mentioning Murrayfield then get a stadium opened in dundee which United and Dundee can share after the championships get Aberdeen's new Aberdeen Stadium which they've been planning the go ahead exploit Inverness' airport and get a stadium built there should do it ourselves it would totally help the Scottish game...imo Where would the money for all that come from? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam 0 Posted December 3, 2008 Share Posted December 3, 2008 Thought Scotland should of done it em selves or not at all imo 3 massive stadiums in Glasgow 2 potential stadiums in Edingburgh with Hearts and Hibs expandin their main stands Potential with Falkirk's new stadium potential on expanding rugby park thats without mentioning Murrayfield then get a stadium opened in dundee which United and Dundee can share after the championships get Aberdeen's new Aberdeen Stadium which they've been planning the go ahead exploit Inverness' airport and get a stadium built there should do it ourselves it would totally help the Scottish game...imo Where would the money for all that come from? Well government funding......the thing is the government want this to happen as it is going to bring lots of business and tourism to the country for a whole month. The money would be made back through VAT alone.....i think im no financial expert....but there must be financial rewards into doing it or else noone would want to host the event Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Manticore* 1,893 Posted December 3, 2008 Share Posted December 3, 2008 Thought Scotland should of done it em selves or not at all imo 3 massive stadiums in Glasgow 2 potential stadiums in Edingburgh with Hearts and Hibs expandin their main stands Potential with Falkirk's new stadium potential on expanding rugby park thats without mentioning Murrayfield then get a stadium opened in dundee which United and Dundee can share after the championships get Aberdeen's new Aberdeen Stadium which they've been planning the go ahead exploit Inverness' airport and get a stadium built there should do it ourselves it would totally help the Scottish game...imo Where would the money for all that come from? Well government funding......the thing is the government want this to happen as it is going to bring lots of business and tourism to the country for a whole month. The money would be made back through VAT alone.....i think im no financial expert....but there must be financial rewards into doing it or else noone would want to host the event You might be right, but it looks to me like there are a lot of risks. It would be fun though. Might be the only way we get to participate in the Euros? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichieG10 0 Posted December 3, 2008 Share Posted December 3, 2008 Does anyone know how many stadiums we'd need and in how many cities? I doubt they'd let us use 3 stadiums in one city. Glasgow would just be at a standstill for a month. Also are places like Kilmarnock big enough to accommodate the amount of people who'd come to just be in the town for a game. Remember that hotels etc are needed as well as fanzones. I reckon you'd be looking at 4 cities (Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen). Then its up to the Welsh to find the rest. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott-RFC 308 Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 It would be absolutely fantastic to have the best players in Europe come to us Long time away but Cristiano Ronaldo will be 30 by then Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOLUWDC 1 Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 You can only use 2 stadiums in the one city. Ibrox and Hampden are both 5 star so I would imagine they'd be chosen. Murrayfield would be used most definitely and I think Tynecastle are getting permission for a new main stand ? That could take capacity to 30,000. (the minimum you need) Pittodrie would be used and I think they would put in temporary seating like they did in Austria. Rugby Park could be about 30,000 if you fill in the corners and add a temporary third tier onto the main stand. (if that's possible) Falkirk and Inverness just wouldn't work though as their stadiums are too small. That is 6 in Scotland and Wales has the Millenium stadium in Cardiff and Swansea's ground which holds about 20,000. However, you need 10 stadiums for 2016 now so I think Wales might not be of any use. Rep. of Ireland have some decent sized stadiums. Croke Park (82,500), Landsdowne Road (under construction...should be 50,000), Páirc Uà Chaoimh (Gaelic football) has a current capacity of 43,500 however the Cork county boards announced plans to increase the capacity to 60,000, Semple stadium and Fitzgerald stadium have capacities over 40,000. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManchestGer 347 Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 I'd love to see Ibrox hosting Euro Champ games. Would be great for Scotland as a whole as well Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdzKyle 7,836 Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 Thought Scotland should of done it em selves or not at all imo 3 massive stadiums in Glasgow 2 potential stadiums in Edingburgh with Hearts and Hibs expandin their main stands Potential with Falkirk's new stadium potential on expanding rugby park thats without mentioning Murrayfield then get a stadium opened in dundee which United and Dundee can share after the championships get Aberdeen's new Aberdeen Stadium which they've been planning the go ahead exploit Inverness' airport and get a stadium built there should do it ourselves it would totally help the Scottish game...imo Most of those teams mentioned above struggle to fill their smaller stadiums as it is. Could you imagine how ridiculous it would look if they were to be expanded? Inverness vs St Mirren in a 30,000 capacity stadium, filled with 1000 fans? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlegKuznetsov 10,816 Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 Dreadful idea. I hope this dies before it gets to a vote. Almost as bad as the crazy decision of Poland-a land of neo-nazis and post-industrial deprivation. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy500 463 Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 The thing about the '2 grounds per City' means it will be a toss up between us and them. And with the scumdome supposedly being done up for the Comonwealths, It looks like Ibrox would be left empty. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muff 245 Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 Hopefully some other country gets the nod Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlegKuznetsov 10,816 Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 The thing about the '2 grounds per City' means it will be a toss up between us and them. And with the scumdome supposedly being done up for the Comonwealths, It looks like Ibrox would be left empty. As far as I know, they will still only be a 4 star stadium. It would be absolutely crazy to use 4 star over 5 star They're only getting a minor cosmetic improvement. If they're going to do it, they have to do it soon, since there's an old Celtic principle about not "touching up" things that are over 16 years old. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam 0 Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 The thing about the '2 grounds per City' means it will be a toss up between us and them. And with the scumdome supposedly being done up for the Comonwealths, It looks like Ibrox would be left empty. As far as I know, they will still only be a 4 star stadium. It would be absolutely crazy to use 4 star over 5 star They're only getting a minor cosmetic improvement. If they're going to do it, they have to do it soon, since there's an old Celtic principle about not "touching up" things that are over 16 years old. brilliant!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Newells Sexist Army 2 Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 To whoever mentioned it, we didn't try it ourselves before, we had a joint bid with Ireland and they fucked us over. The plan was Hampden, 1 of the 2 OF stadiums, Murrayfield, new joint stadium in Dundee and a new stadium for Aberdeen and 2 or 3 stadiums in Ireland. But Landsdown Road was behind with the regeneration and the GAA or whoever wouldn't give permission to allow football to be played at Croke Park. Problems with this one are: - Only allowed one city with 2 stadiums used, which will be Glasgow, ruling out Cardiff City's big new ground as it would clash with the Millenium stadium. - Lack of other stadia in Wales, Swansea's new stadium only holds 20,000 and the Racecourse only holds 15,000 so barring one of the rugby grounds being suitable, there is only one stadium suitable just now (the Millenium). - Even if Hearts ever build the new main stand, it would only take capacity upto 23,000. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boab 73 Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 I'd love it to happen but we'll just need to see. The Welsh have crackin' Lamb. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
radlord 24 Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 Dreadful idea. I hope this dies before it gets to a vote. Almost as bad as the crazy decision of Poland-a land of neo-nazis and post-industrial deprivation. Remind you of anywhere else? Say... Scotland and Wales? Maybe not quite so many neo-nazis thank fuck, but still. I can't imagine too many people being more enthusiastic about coming up to our cold, wet, violent cities than we are about going over to the Polish equivalents! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Manticore* 1,893 Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 The Welsh have crackin' Lamb. That's disgusting Boab. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davy 68 Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 The thing about the '2 grounds per City' means it will be a toss up between us and them. And with the scumdome supposedly being done up for the Comonwealths, It looks like Ibrox would be left empty. As far as I know, they will still only be a 4 star stadium. It would be absolutely crazy to use 4 star over 5 star They're only getting a minor cosmetic improvement. If they're going to do it, they have to do it soon, since there's an old Celtic principle about not "touching up" things that are over 16 years old. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasper 157 Posted December 4, 2008 Author Share Posted December 4, 2008 To whoever mentioned it, we didn't try it ourselves before, we had a joint bid with Ireland and they fucked us over. The plan was Hampden, 1 of the 2 OF stadiums, Murrayfield, new joint stadium in Dundee and a new stadium for Aberdeen and 2 or 3 stadiums in Ireland. But Landsdown Road was behind with the regeneration and the GAA or whoever wouldn't give permission to allow football to be played at Croke Park. One of the reasons we failed was because we had 3 stadiums in one city. Glasgow wasplanning on using all 3 of them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts