‘HOSTING EUROS WOULD GIVE US ALL A HUGE LIFT’
SOUTHGATE GETS BEHIND PRIME MINISTER’S OFFER
ENGLAND manager Gareth Southgate says the UK is “well placed” to take on the hosting of this summer’s European Championship finals and believes the tournament will be a “national event” to lift the country’s spirits.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has confirmed the UK has offered to host extra matches at Euro 2020 this summer, citing the success of the vaccine rollout, and says talks are continuing between the Government and UEFA.
European football’s governing body continue to insist that the delayed tournament will take place in 12 different host cities, as planned, but coronavirus restrictions may force a rethink.
Speaking today, Southgate confirmed the UK is in a strong position to host the finals, but warned that it would be no guarantee of success for his team.
“We have our group matches at Wembley anyway, we’re hugely looking forward to that and we’ve got our fingers crossed that we keep progressing as we are and that there could be some fans in the stadium,” he said. “That would be the first step. Everything else is a bit up in the air.
“At the moment we’re being told the tournament will stay in its current format. You would imagine if there is an option for one country to host, then we will be well placed with a couple of other countries to do that. But as a team we’ve got to remember that just hosting is not a great guarantee of success.
“You don’t win just because you’re the hosts. We won’t win just because our matches are at Wembley. We have got to play well and be as prepared as we can possibly be.”
According to the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown, all restrictions are due to be lifted on June 21, the day before England face Czech Republic at Wembley in their final group game.
Southgate believes the tournament will be a “national event” and hopes it can help bring the UK together after the coronavirus pandemic.
“We can play a part in giving the country back its energy, its enthusiasm for life and its enjoyment,” he told talkSPORT. “We have an incredible league and everybody is hugely passionate about their clubs. You have times in the season when nobody gives a monkey’s about international football, normally when I’m having to pick a squad and get players released, but the major tournaments are national events. We all go through that rollercoaster.
“I can think back to watching Scotland in 1978 in Argentina and England in 1982 in Spain and all those memories that you share as a family, those key international moments stick with you. We’re ready for that, the country are ready for that enjoyment and excitement.”
Wembley is due to host the most matches, with the semi-finals and final among the seven fixtures in north London, while Dublin, Baku, Munich, Rome, St Petersburg, Copenhagen, Bucharest, Amsterdam, Bilbao, Budapest and Glasgow are the other host cities. UEFA have given those cities until early April to decide if fans can attend matches.
Meanwhile, the Government is also backing a joint bid from England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to host the 2030 World Cup. All five national associations have welcomed the pledge of £2.8million towards a potential bid, set to be included in tomorrow’s budget.
This morning, the PM tweeted: “Let’s bring football home in 2030. I would love for the home of football to host the 2030 World Cup and it would be a wonderful thing for the whole country to savour.”
Southgate said: “That would be an amazing experience for everyone.”
The Republic’s deputy premier, Leo Varadkar, tweeted: “Great to see this coming together. Something for us to work towards together. Would be a real festival of football.”