By Duncan Mackay
December 10 – Sweden and Norway are set to drop plans to submit a joint bid to host the 2016 European Championships after the two countries Governments refused to support it financially.
The decision was announced by the President of Swedish Football Association, Lars-Åke Lagrell after a joint meeting at the Norwegian Department for Culture and Sports.
Delegations from the two nations’ Football Associations had met with the Norwegian Sports Minister Anniken Huitfeldt, who said that after a total assessment, the two Governments had found it impossible to grant a state support to the 2016 Euro Championships.
Lagrell said: ”This is obviously a disappointment.
“We had hoped the state would help the municipalities with the investments.
“The Swedish Football Federation will now await the Government’s formal decision before deciding how the process should continue.
“But the decision made today makes the candidature impossible.”
Sweden staged the eight-team European Championship in 1992.
Norway has never hosted the tournament.
Candidates to host Euro 2016 must have nine 30,000-capacity stadiums and at least two stadiums with a minimum capacity of 50,000.
Other candidates to host the tournament are France, Italy and Turkey.
Bidders have to return their bid dossiers by February 2010.
UEFA technical experts will then visit the countries in March-April and prepare an evaluation report for UEFA’s National Team Competitions Committee, which is chaired by Portugal FA President Gilberto Madail.
That panel reports to the UEFA Executive Committee, which will decide the host at a meeting on May 27.
Euro 2016 will feature 24 nations for the first time, up from 16 at Euro 2012 in Poland-Ukraine.
It will have 51 matches, up from 31.
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