A joint by Scotland and the Republic of Ireland to host the European Football Championships in 2008 is unsuccessful.
In February 2002, the Scottish Football Association (SFA) and the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) officially confirmed a joint bid for Scotland and the Republic of Ireland to host the 2008 UEFA European Championships. The bid was unsuccessful and on 12 December 2002, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) awarded the Championships to Austria and Switzerland,
Following the announcement, Brendan Menton of the FAI and representatives of the Scotland and Republic if Ireland Euro 2008 bid held a press conference in Dublin. They had no regrets about applying to host the European Football Championship and it would be at least 18 months before they even begin to decide whether to make a joint application again.
It was they insisted a genuinely strong bid.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said that football politics was to blame for the failure.
Despite the bid receiving a high technical score, it lost out on a number of grounds. Simon Lyons, Marketing Director of the Celtic Bid, said that there was an element of geo-politics at play in the selection process.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 13 December 2002. The reporter is Eamonn Falvey.
