Scotland considers bid for Euro 2016

Jeroen

30 maart 2006, 15:22

The Scottish Football Association is considering a bid to host the 2016 European Championship finals but has dismissed the notion of a combined Celtic nations bid involving Scotland, Ireland and Wales.

Despite the Scots losing out on staging Euro 2008 - Austria and Switzerland were awarded the finals - SFA chief executive David Taylor insists there is still the appetite to host a major tournament in this country.

"It's a possibility we will bid," Taylor told Radio Scotland. "But a bid involving all three Celtic nations is too impractical."

Lennart Johannson, the president of UEFA, had floated the idea of a combined bid involving the Scots, Irish and Welsh last month. The main motivation behind the suggestion was Johannson's desire to see Cardiff's impressive Millennium Stadium utilised at a major tournament.

Taylor discounted the notion of a triple bid but did not rule out the possibility of working again with the Irish or going solo. "We would never be put off in terms of bidding ambitiously for Scotland," the chief executive said.

Patricia Ferguson, the sports minister, said: "We are very keen for major sports events to come to Scotland and it's certainly something we would like to discuss with the SFA."

Scotland and Ireland lost out on hosting Euro 2008 because of uncertainty over stadiums in Dublin and a lack of geographical spread in the Scottish part of the bid.