Stadiums will be ready, vows Ahern

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern last night said he had not given any legal commitment to build a national stadium in last-ditch efforts to boost the joint Irish-Scottish bid for the 2008 European soccer championships.

But Mr Ahern stressed the Government had done everything possible to support the bid and was certain this country can provide the two required venues if the joint Celtic nations’ bid wins the selection competition today.

The Taoiseach was reacting to reports from Edinburgh that the Government had moved to banish the uncertainty which was seen as the key weakness in the joint bid.

UEFA officials were yesterday told the Irish bid was not contingent upon Croke Park being made available by the GAA.

The officials were given a written guarantee, on behalf of the Government/FAI liaison, that two stadiums of the required standard would be in place to enable Ireland host one of the four groups of four teams that comprises the final tournament of UEFA, even if Croke Park was not involved.

This emerged in the course of discussions in Geneva last night after Scotland and Ireland had made their final presentation to those charged with deciding between the seven applicants for the 2008 championships.

The members of the Scottish/Irish delegation were upbeat after their 15-minute presentation to the 14 members of the UEFA Executive Committee, who will make the final decision, and the members of UEFA’s National Teams Committee.

The National Teams Committee is the body charged with running the tournament.

Their members visited Dublin and Scotland in September when they inspected facilities or, in Ireland’s case, the sites of planned facilities. They will make recommendations to the executive prior to today’s vote.

Labour leader Pat Rabbitte last night challenged Mr Ahern to publish the details of just what guarantees he had given to UEFA. But a spokeswoman for the Taoiseach insisted Government assurances were part of the details of the bid and must remain private.

Mr Ahern’s spokeswoman, however, said there were no additional guarantees beyond those contained in the original submission sent to Geneva on May 31 last. “There has been no new or different commitment and no legal document,” the spokeswoman said.

Scotland is already providing six of the eight venues and Sports Minister John O’Donoghue has conceded that more clarity on the two Irish venues would have been helpful.

Officials yesterday reiterated two out of a possible three Dublin venues would be used: the GAA’s Croke Park, the rugby headquarters at Lansdowne Road and/or a privately funded National Stadium.