If they get the Olympics they won't get the Euros, insists UEFA boss as Istanbul is shortlisted to host 2020 Games

By Andrew Warshaw in Budapest

May 24 – UEFA President Michel Platini has once again reiterated that Turkey will not be allowed to host the European Championship finals in 2020 if Istanbul is awarded the Olympics and Paralympics the same summer.

Within hours of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Executive Board, at their meeting in Québec City, whittling down the 2020 candidates from five to three – Istanbul, Madrid and Tokyo – Platini (pictured above, left, with Turkish Football Federation (TFF) President Yıldırım Demirören) said Turkey was deluding itself if it thought it could stage both events.

“If Istanbul is given the Olympic Games, the Turks will not have the Euros,” said Platini, here in the Hungarian capital for the FIFA Congress.

“But if they don’t get the Olympics and they are still at the time bidding for the Euros, I will vote for them as I have always said.”

The two ballots are likely to be just a few months apart, with the 2020 Games host city being announced in September next year and the Euro 2020 vote in early 2014.

Platini said it was up to Turkey to determine its own strategy.

“The two decisions are not at the same moment and they can carry on bidding for both if they want,” said Platini.

“I’m not particularly happy about that but it’s their problem not mine.

“But I say again, if they get the Games they won’t get the Euros, simple as that.

“They can gain everything or lose everything.”

Platini’s comments were a potential boost for a possible tri-partite bid from Scotland, Wales and Republic of Ireland, the only expression of interest that landed at that UEFA headquarters by the May 15 deadline.

They are not likely to be the only candidates, however, since UEFA have now opened the bidding to all 53 national associations, with the organisation’s general secretary Gianni Infantino (pictured above) insisting the initial deadline was not deliberately imposed to make sure there was at least one rival for Turkey.

Platini had previously declared that Turkey would be given the green light by default if it became clear no-one else was interested, but Infantino told insideworldfootball: “It was always intended to run a fully-fledged bid process.

“We just wanted to get some feedback.”

He insisted UEFA had no input into the thinking of Scotland, Wales and Republic of Ireland but admitted time would now have to be given for any other interested parties to come forward.

“We didn’t put any pressure on them,” Infantino said.

“Will they continue to bid?

“Why not?

“They have the stadiums, they have the infrastructure.

“But everyone must now be given a chance, time to liaise with their Governments.

“Look what happened to Rome when they pulled out of the 2020 Olympic race.”

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