Hosting rights of 2020 mega European soccer league could go to Istanbul if current trend is to be believed. The vibes are coming not only from members but also from FIFA whose president has already said he would love to see Turkey hosting EURO 2020. Recently, this country lost 2020 Olympic rights and for this reason, both FIFA and UEFA are looking forward to place European league over here. According to the new bid format, every interested State needs to mention if it would like to hold group stage, knockout stage or semifinals and final matches. These two are broad categories UEFA has divided the entire event to smooth line and expand its reach. As par current trend, there are around 32 bids who want to win the hosting rights while many more are likely to join them soon. Final bids of all aspirants will be submitted to European governing body by 25 April next year and final announcement for the host will be made by 25 September. Apart from Istanbul, Wembley is the second hot favorite to steal the event coz there is a section in European who prefers England over Turkey to centralize the event and make it easily accessible.
UEFA general secretary Alex Horne believes it is Turkey’s failure to win Olympic rights that is earning them sympathy from every corner. He said, “We’ve taken some soundings. There’s a sympathy for Turkey and it feels like they are the front-runners. We get the politics around Istanbul, having not got the Olympics. The impact on the stadium and London of hosting either group stages and semi-final and final will be significant. It’s something we want to be part of, so we’ve bid for both.”
If event is assigned to England, it will boost their financial balance sheet as Wembley can bring them many advantages in terms of advertising, broadcasting, and ticket sales. FA chairman Greg Dyke said, “The prize of group games and a quarter-final, or certainly a knockout game, here at Wembley, is significant. You get two games with England at home which has got to be an advantage.”
UEFA general secretary said over the departure of Fabio Capello and if it has any effect over their financial results, “We didn’t pay Fabio any more than we would have done in the period that we didn’t have a manager. We paid him a small amount of money as severance, but it was less than we’d have paid him if he stayed working until the Euros, significantly.”