Euro 2008 bid to go ahead

A joint bid between Scotland and Ireland to host the Euro 2008 soccer tournament is set to go ahead after 11th hour talks in Dublin tonight.

Following a day of deadlock between the Fianna Fail and the PD’s in a row over whether to build a new stadium, a solution was announced tonight.

With a deadline of tomorrow for the Government to join the Scottish government in telling the European Football Authority Uefa whether they intended to launch a bid, top level talks between the two parties and the Football Association of Ireland led to a compromise tonight.

The row developed when Tanaiste Mary Harney disagreed with plans to build a new stadium in Dublin.

She maintained that instead, Lansdowne Road and the 80,000-seater Croke Park should be used for the bid.

But this solution was doubtful as the Gaelic Athletic Association refuse to allow the stadium to be used for any sports other than Gaelic games.

But in a statement tonight, Sports Minister, Jim McDaid, said: ‘‘The Taoiseach has confirmed to the Scottish First Minister that Ireland is committed to supporting the preparation of a joint bid by the Scottish Football Association and the Football Association of Ireland to host the European Football Championship finals in 2008.’’

The statement went on: ‘‘Fundamental to this task is the planned provision of the necessary infrastructure and support organisation. In this context the government has been in communication with the various relevant organisations, including the GAA to request their support in making available the necessary facilities.

‘‘The GAA has also, in its recently published strategic review, recommended that it should consider allowing the use of Croke Park by other codes, on an occasional basis, as soon as the redevelopment of the stadium is completed and the newly laid pitch has proved capable of accommodating a games programme.’’

Mr McDaid said the GAA planned to raise the issue of the use of Croke Park for other sports at its annual congress in April.

A similar move recently, however, was rejected by members.

However Mr McDaid went on: ‘‘Should these recommendations/motions be approved by its congress, the GAA have confirmed that they will then be in a position to consider the request to accommodate some of the European Championship games.’’

A steering group, already in existence to oversee the bidding process in Ireland, would now be ‘‘exploring a number of options as to how the stadium requirements can be met’’.

Officials from the FAI had not emerged from the talks at Government Buildings when Mr McDaid issued his statement.

But earlier in the day, planning and development manager John Byrne had said the FAI would not take a bid to Scotland which hinged on the cooperation of the GAA.

Uefa had demanded that all nations planning to bid should signal their intention by tomorrow.

The bidders were not asked to indicate exactly which stadiums would be used. But by the end of May they must tell Uefa which options were available to them.

Scotland is set to provide six stadiums and Dublin two.

With Ms Harney rejecting the building of the new stadium on the outskirts of Dublin, the GAA institutionally opposed to soccer being staged at Croke Park and the FAI against hinging the bid on the GAA, the situation appeared hopeless.

But Government sources suggested tonight that a deal had been struck with the GAA to lobby heavily among its members to change the rule which restricted the use of its stadium for other sports.