The competition to host the 2028 and 2032 Euro games is entering the last row.
Although the final decision will be made only next year, the picture of the contending countries has become clearer.
For the right to host the major tournament of continental Europe in 2028, Turkey's bid and the joint bid of Great Britain and Ireland compete.
The round of nominations to host a championship that will take place four years later also includes only two proposals, but this time Italy is facing the Turks.
Turkey's determination cannot forget the fact that it is the big loser of campaigns to host significant sports competitions.
The Turks have been chasing the Euro for two decades.
Their first proposal was submitted together with Greece and referred to Euro 2008. After this failed, the Turks asked for the European championships of 2012 and 2016, and were rejected again.
The Turkish dream was soon transformed into a new goal - hosting the 2020 Olympics. The Turks were close to achieving it, and only the Land of the Rising Sun left them behind.
They still hoped to receive Euro 2020, but UEFA's decision to spread the championship between many countries thwarted the plan. Turkey was ready to settle for a consolation prize - to host at least the semi-finals and the final - and again suffered a discriminatory fate when this right was given to London's Wembley Stadium. They are sorry , the Turks approached the competition for hosting Euro 2024, and this time it was Germany that left them no chance.
8. Ataturk Olimpiyat Stadium
Country -Turkey 🇹🇷
City - Istanbul
Capacity -76,092 pic.twitter.com/OpmD8xqJyT
— Francis (@OnyedumFrancis) September 23, 2022
war in peace
No one will be surprised if even now the Turks are left behind.
Their offer is quite sophisticated and tempting.
Not only do they meet the minimum required standard (10 stadiums, including one with more than 60,000 seats, one with more than 50,000 seats, four with more than 40,000 seats and three with more than 30,000 seats), all the stadiums These are new and impressive.
Even the fact that the country has never hosted major tournaments, with the exception of the World Championship for under-20 teams, is to its credit.
UEFA people have always spoken highly of the importance of expanding the circuit of hosting the competitions to new countries, and they will have a hard time explaining why this principle does not apply to Turkey.
But the additional loss of the Turks will be easy to depend on the quality of the offers that compete with them.
The joint offer of Great Britain and Ireland emanates a strong odor of emotions not related to football.
Imagine: while the cracks in the kingdom are widening, the Scots are being pushed for a new referendum on their independence, the separatists in Northern Ireland are raising their heads and the relations with Ireland are getting angry - here comes the initiative of the five associations (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland), and hopes are planted that football will overcome the political differences .
Who will refuse to help the sports peace initiative and dare to vote against their proposal?
Wembley.
Who would dare to refuse the peace initiative in the kingdom?, Photo: Getty Images
Ten years will be enough
As for the Italian desire to host Euro 2032, matters are more complex.
There is no subtle way to present this: most stadiums in Italy are outdated, not to mention crumbling.
The Juventus arena, which opened in 2011, is unusual in this sense, but it is relatively small - only 41,000 seats.
The big stadiums ("Diego Armando Maradona" in Naples, "San Siro" in Milan and "Olimpico" in Rome) are desperate for renewal.
Some of them were built about 100 years ago.
This is exactly why the Italians decided to bet on 2032. In their view, ten years will be enough to overcome the chronic lack of funding and the notorious Italian bureaucracy.
The Italians are celebrating at Wembley.
Double celebration, photo: AP
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