Politics expected to influence decision

IT is freely acknowledged that the UEFA decision today on the venue for the European Championship finals of 2008 will be hugely influenced by political considerations.

When the 14 members of UEFA’s executive committee identify those potential hosts deemed capable of successfully staging the championships, they will be influenced by historical liaisons when they move to reach a decision by a straightforward voting procedure.

This is why delegates to the UEFA congress in Geneva will freely admit - in private - that the final decision is not solely dependant upon quality of facilities or infrastructure.