Gov still in talk about co-hosting Euro championships with Scots

[James]

talks going on in gov buildings about this
Looking unlikely at the moment due to the fact that we'd have to provide two 30,000+ seater stadiums and those would be Lansdowne and Croke Park .. which the gov proposed, but the FAI dont like this cause it would give the GAA some sort of hold over them or an upperhand or something .. i duno its all a bit ****ing stupid..

Anyway the final proposals must be into UEFA by midnight tomoro for proposals..so time is running out for the FAI/GAA to grow up and give us the euro championships

how likely is that to happen eh

[James]

ok now its Mary Harney thats blocking it.. i think..fcuking all politics either way..

[James]

story from irelanddotcom

or for the lazy

Joint Euro 2008 hangs in the balance For more sports news visit Sports Extra

Hopes of a joint bid by Scotland and Ireland for the Euro 2008 soccer tournament now lie with last-minute top-level meetings which are being held tonight.

The European football body, UEFA, has set a deadline of tomorrow for countries to announce their intention to apply to host the tournament.

Although no formal announcement has been made on whether Ireland would back the bid, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) blamed Tánaiste Mary Harney for effectively blocking the bid.

But tonight the FAI claimed hopes of a guarantee that Dublin would be able to provide two stadiums to accompany six venues in Scotland were fading fast.

The FAI's planning and development manager John Byrne, speaking ahead of tonight’s meeting with the Minister for Sport Jim McDaid, maintained the Tánaiste Mary Harney had virtually scuppered the bid.

Ms Harney has refused to back an agreement that would lead to the building of a new stadium in Dublin.

She disagreed with Taoiseach Bertie Ahern over the need for the new stadium, insisting her party had other priorities for the cash.

But without the stadium the bid would be doomed, said Mr Byrne, as the only alternative for a second stadium would be Dublin's Croke Park.

The GAA forbids its use for any sports other than Gaelic games.

With no guarantee that the GAA would relax the rule and, even then, provide the stadium for part of summer 2008, a bid appeared increasingly impossible.

"Without a new stadium the bid would be in the hands of the GAA. The GAA is not going to sign off Croke Park for a large chunk of the summer season to soccer" said Mr Byrne.