Economic benefits key to Turkish plans to host Euro 2024, says bid chief

ANKARA: Turkey deserves to host the 2024 European Championship because it represents a “new frontier” that will bring great economic gains, the vice-president of the Turkish football federation said, brushing aside concerns over the country’s human rights record.

UEFA will make their final decision on the venue for their 2024 flagship tournament when their executive committee meets tomorrow at their headquarters in the Swiss town of Nyon. Germany is the only other country bidding to host the tournament.

Turkey has seen previous attempts to host Euro 2016 and the 2020 Summer Olympics fail, while Germany won the rights to host the 2006 World Cup, which was widely hailed as a success.

However, Servet Yardimci, who is spearheading the Turkish bid, believes Turkey’s attraction as a venue lies precisely in its status as an untapped resource for UEFA.

“Germany has a proven track record in hosting events but Turkey is a new market,” Yardimci told Reuters in an interview.

“It is ... a completely new frontier because they (UEFA) will attract more supporters, more sponsorship, more excitement. It will bring an added value to the revenue UEFA is looking for. Definitely UEFA would be much stronger financially than if hosted by another European country.”

Holding the tournament in a country that straddles Europe and Asia would reinforce an appetite for global expansion in European football at the moment. Spain’s La Liga are planning to take games to the United States and UEFA are discussing the possibility of having the Champions League final in New York. — Reuters