Hopes of a British bid for the 2030 World Cup were "boosted" after Germany "easily beat Turkey" in the vote to decide the host of Euro 2024, according to Martyn Ziegler of the LONDON TIMES. Germany won by 12 votes to four with one abstention in the ballot by UEFA's exec committee members, with England’s two representatives, FIFA VP David Gill and outgoing Arsenal CEO Ivan Gazidis, understood to have "followed the wishes" of UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin by backing the Germans. That should give the British bid "a strong base of European support" if it goes ahead. England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland "are conducting a feasibility study into launching a joint bid for the tournament" and Ceferin already indicated he would like to see a "single European bid" for '30. The Euro 2024 decision was "the low-risk option, with Turkey having to deal with criticism over its recent human rights record, a struggling economy" and one of its proposed host cities, Gaziantep, being "only a couple of hours’ drive from the Syrian troublespot Aleppo" and subject to U.K. Foreign Office advice that visitors should not travel there (LONDON TIMES, 9/27).
SIGH OF RELIEF: In London, Murad Ahmed reported the result "came as a relief" for the German FA (DFB), which had "long been considered" a strong favorite to pick up the rights "until being shaken by controversies in the run-up to the vote." Over the weekend, German club football teams "stood in front of placards before matches supporting the bid," but fans in the stands of many stadiums "launched protests to voice opposition" and complain about the commercialization of the game (FINANCIAL TIMES, 9/27).
THE WAIT CONTINUES: The BBC reported Turkey is "yet to host" a major int'l football tournament. The country's previous attempts to host the Euros in '08, '12 and '16 failed, as did its bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics. Germany staged the 2006 World Cup. Ceferin said that Germany and Turkey made "very strong bids." He added, "The procedure was transparent. The voting was democratic. Every democratic decision is the right decision so I can only say I am looking forward to seeing a fantastic Euro in 2024" (BBC, 9/27). The PA reported "while Germany's hotel stock, stadiums and transport infrastructure are all in place and of high quality," Turkey's bid was "marked down" for needing to upgrade airports, railways, roads and stadiums, particularly at a time when the country's economy "is struggling" (PA, 9/27).
'BIG PARTY': REUTERS' Brian Homewood reported Germany plans to stage the tournament in 10 cities -- Berlin, Munich, Dortmund, Gelsenkirchen, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Cologne, Leipzig and Frankfurt. Germany coach Joachim Löw said, "We saw in 2006 in Germany how people came together and it was a big party. We will do the best to feel the same in six years" (REUTERS, 9/27).
