The Minister for Sport, Dr Jim McDaid, says he’s confident Ireland will be in a position to launch a joint bid with Scotland for the European Soccer Championship in 2008. Dr McDaid was speaking after meeting his Scottish counterparts in Dublin this afternoon.
The Minister told reporters he believed Ireland would be able to offer two arenas for the event. However, with a political row brewing over the proposed new national stadium, popularly dubbed the ‘Bertie Bowl’, it remains to be seen whether or not Ireland will be able to provide two top-class stadia in time for 2008.
But Dr McDaid today insisted that the new stadium will be built as long as Fianna Fáil get re-elected in the forthcoming election. “As long as Bertie Ahern is Taoiseach here the dream of having this stadium here in this country will be a reality,” he said. The Minister went on to say that even in the event of the present Government not returning to office, the GAA’s Croke Park could be developed as the ground to accompany Lansdowne Road as the second stadium requirement.
Both Ministers will now report back to their respective cabinets before a bid is launched. European soccer governing body, UEFA, has set a deadline of the end of the month for the submission of bids.
Filed by Tom Grealis
