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Swanners
Talks too much |
    
Just got this from the BBC web site, do not know if anyone else has seen it yet.
Fifa vice-president David Will claims Scotland and Ireland are neck-and-neck with Austria and Switzerland in the race to host the 2008 European Championships.
The two joint bids are among seven hopefuls aiming to stage the tournament, but Will, from Brechin, believes the Scottish/Irish bid that he is backing is an early favourite.
"I would put Scotland and Ireland joint favourites with Austria and Switzerland," Will revealed.
"These two are the strongest bids.
"The pendulum might swing our (Scotland and Ireland's) way even more when it is realised that a Swiss/Austrian championship would follow so closely after the World Cup in neighbouring Germany just two years before.
"I also believe we have an advantage in that we have a majority of very large capacity stadia which makes it attractive to Uefa.
"We will be providing six out of eight stadia with large capacities of 50,000 or more which makes it attractive from a financial perspective."
Stadia and security problems
Other bids include one from four Nordic countries, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. Although Scandinavians have a strong political presence within Uefa, the administrative problems of staging a tournament across four countries makes them outsiders.
Furthermore, Uefa communications director Mike Lee has confirmed that if the bid were successful, only two of the four host countries would be allowed automatic qualification.
He said: "No bid can have more than two automatic qualifiers from host countries. That is enshrined in the schedules governing bid procedures."
If Uefa were to decide on the Nordic bid, it would mean accepting a possible scenario where European Championship matches would be played in one or even two countries who had not qualified for the finals.
The other bids, from Greece/Turkey, Bosnia/Croatia plus single bids by Russia and Hungary will all need to convince Uefa's executive committee they could overcome serious problems with stadia and security.
The seven bids are reduced to a shortlist of two or three before a final vote on the host is taken on 13 December.
Of the 14 members of Uefa's executive committee, six come from countries involved with a bid and are ineligible to vote.
If their bids are not shortlisted, however, the members can then join in for the final votes.
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'and on the seventh day god created the Scots.'
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Total Posts: 139 | Joined April 2002 | Posted on: 11:43 am on July 19, 2002 | IP
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William Wallace
GET A LIFE!!! |
Our chances are looking better and better as time goes on.
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Scotland Forever England 0 - 1 Scotland (Wembley '99) Hutchinson (39')-------We're bought and sold for English gold.
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Total Posts: 576 | Joined Jan. 2002 | Posted on: 6:53 pm on July 19, 2002 | IP
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Andy Gray
GET A LIFE!!! |
Aye, but as my educated cousin Mick N.C. tells me...
Austria/Swiss bid is on table for 3rd time and sooner or later they'll have to give it to them........
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CROY TARTAN ARMY
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Total Posts: 1715 | Joined Sep. 2001 | Posted on: 1:28 am on July 21, 2002 | IP
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Mick North Croy
GET A LIFE!!! |
HERE YOU
i hate gettin misquoted, are you working for the Croy Gazzette again, 
i said they would PROBABLY give it to them, for their perseverance
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Mick. Support the TAMB Sunshine Appeal
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Total Posts: 785 | Joined Sep. 2001 | Posted on: 3:02 pm on July 22, 2002 | IP
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Jam
GET A LIFE!!! |
Ah think the same. IMO oor chance lies wae them thinking Germany got the world cup so we dinnae want tae gie them it coz it's next door.
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Yer haverin pash!
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Total Posts: 678 | Joined Sep. 2001 | Posted on: 4:36 pm on July 22, 2002 | IP
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The Kilt
Opinionated Wind Bag |
The Irish did us a big favour in the World Cup.
The 2 biggest bunch of party animals hosting the games!!!
We can only mess up it up for ourselves!!
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Supporting Scotland has cost my girlfriend & loads of cash ...i have never been happier
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Total Posts: 224 | Joined April 2002 | Posted on: 7:09 pm on July 28, 2002 | IP
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Brian Rodden
GET A LIFE!!! |
Rioting Rapid Vienna fans fighting with the police at the friendly with arsenal has made us even bigger favourites now me thinks.
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Gettin Magoo'd Is Good For You!
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Total Posts: 611 | Joined Feb. 2002 | Posted on: 7:14 pm on July 28, 2002 | IP
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Tartan Army Message Board
FIFA boost for joint bid
