By Andrew Warshaw
September 24 – Somebody has to lose. But as their respective delegations head for UEFA headquarters in Switzerland ahead of this week’s vote to decide who stages Euro 2024, head-to-head rivals Germany and Turkey have issued equally bullish reactions to the all-important evaluation report into both candidates’ credentials.
While UEFA’s technical experts praised both of them in a 42-page analysis of organisational capability covering vision, security, transport, finance, stadiums and “political, social and environmental aspects,” there is little doubt that Germany came out on top.
Germany’s bid was of “the highest quality” while Turkey’s was “in line with the long-term objectives of UEFA”.
Despite the future over the Mesut Ozil affair, the report suggests it should not make that much difference come the vote by UEFA’s executive committee on Thursday afternoon.
Germany’s vision, said the report, “is rooted in the belief that football can unify society and this tournament can create an enduring legacy for European football.”
“All political and football structures are in place in Germany with a long and stable history of successful events.”
The German bid, UEFA added, “comfortably meets overall expectations when it comes to political aspects, social responsibility, sustainability and human rights.”
Turkey, too, came in for praise with UEFA’s experts saying the country – which has failed with three previous Euro bids, the last time by a single vote for Euro 2016 – “not only offers teams and spectators the best conditions, but brings people together by promoting an intercultural dialogue thanks to its location between three continents.”
Nevertheless, if the ballot is as tight as many predict, it could come down to the ongoing currency crisis in Turkey as well as its human rights record.
Significantly, the UEFA report warned that “recent economic developments in the country may put planned public investments under pressure”.
It also pointed out that “lack of an action plan in the area of human rights is a matter of concern” and that Turkey’s restriction on advertising alcoholic products “might be a potential conflict if a sponsorship agreement is signed with a beer company.”
Plus, it said, “the scale of works to be undertaken in the given time frame constitutes a risk, especially in combination with the dependence on a few airports for international and domestic travel.”
Despite those concerns, Yıldırım Demirören, president of the Turkish Football Federation, had little choice but to issue a positive, upbeat response.
“We are delighted that UEFA’s evaluation report recognises the far-reaching vision of our bid for UEFA EURO 2024,” he said in a statement. “This is Turkey’s fourth successive bid and we believe it is by far our best yet with 10 ultra-modern stadia across nine wonderful Host Cities. Our hosting vision is global – we will bring the event to even more people, create new fans of football and drive commercial growth way beyond Europe’s borders.
“Thanks to our significant investment over the last decade and future plans all the necessary facilities and infrastructure will be in place and ready to host a spectacular EURO and, with all stadia state owned and all government guarantees firmly secured, the financial success of the tournament is also assured. We thank UEFA for their excellent work and look forward to presenting our compelling bid to the UEFA Executive Committee in Nyon next week.”
Servet Yardımcı, Vice-President of the Turkish Football Federation and UEFA Executive Committee Member, added: “The findings of the report demonstrate how far we have come in our fourth bid to host UEFA’s prestige event. This is unquestionably a national priority. Our ambition is to deliver an historic tournament that promises a new frontier for UEFA, expanding its reach far beyond traditional boundaries. A global Euro with state-of-the-art facilities set in iconic locations within an exciting, modern and globally-connected nation. Turkey is fully prepared and ready to host UEFA Euro 2024 and we are excited to share together our vision with the UEFA Executive Committee in Nyon ahead of next week’s crucial vote.”
The Germans, whose position as marginal favourites can only have been enhanced by the technical report, had little doubt their case trumped that of their opponents, saying the report provided “a timely boost”.
Reflecting on the findings, Germany’s 2024 bid ambassador Philipp Lahm, said: “The report has shown that we have taken our work very seriously in the past few months and that UEFA have acknowledged the strengths behind our bid. We will give everything we can at the final presentation on Thursday and we ultimately hope that we will win, as Germany is the best place for EURO 2024 to take place.”
Markus Stenger, head of Germany’s bid team, added: ‘We are very happy with the input we have received from UEFA in this Evaluation Report. In particular, we are pleased to see that our efforts to make a comprehensive and detailed bid book have been recognised, that we are seen as a strong and stable partner in this important time for European football. Our approach throughout his process has been to be as open and transparent as possible.”
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