By Andrew Warshaw
September 24 – The English Football Association (FA) will propose Wembley Stadium to host the semi-finals and final of the 2020 European Championship if UEFA President Michel Platini’s plan to hold the tournament across Europe comes to fruition, FA chairman David Bernstein revealed today.
With the finals expanding to 24 teams in France in 2016, Platini wants the 2020 event to take place in 12 or 13 European countries with the latter stages at one venue, an idea that will be discussed by UEFA’s Executive Committee in December with a decision early next year.
Bernstein told a media briefing at Wembley: “Clearly Wembley is incredibly highly thought of by UEFA and it is something we will probably push for.
“UEFA want to hold the semi-finals and the final on the same ground, or in the same city and I think we would be on their shortlist – but there would be some strong competition.”
Turkey is still Platini’s preferred option but their bid will be dropped if Istanbul is awarded the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the same year.
Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland have also declared their interest in staging the finals together.
Wembley staged last year’s UEFA Champions League final and will be the venue again in 2013 to coincide with the FA’s 150th anniversary.
Bernstein continued: “One of the major factors is whether Turkey get the Olympic Games or not.
“If Turkey do not get the Olympic Games then I think they are in a pretty good position to stage the Euros.
“If we believed there was a real opportunity of having the tournament here of course we would look at it.
“If Michel Platini’s current views prevail and it becomes a pan-European competition, then the focus needs to be on the semi-finals and final.”
After England’s doomed bid to stage the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the FA would be reluctant to get into any kind of bidding war.
But apart from the London Olympics and Paralympics, Euro 1996 was the latest major international sporting event in the country.
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