LONDON: England’s Football Association (FA) have suggested that Wembley should stage the 2020 European Championship final, British media reported yesterday.
UEFA President Michel Platini, the former France international, is considering a change to the format of the tournament so that it would be played in cities across Europe, rather than just one or two countries.
Wembley’s chances are linked to Turkey’s bid for Euro 2020 -- if Istanbul wins the right to stage the 2020 Olympics, then UEFA will not award the country the Euro.
Wembley has proved popular with European football’s governing body UEFA in recent years. It was a record-breaking venue in financial terms for the Champions League final last year and is set to be so again in 2013.
Meanwhile in Kiev, Ukrainian Champions League contenders Dynamo Kiev yesterday fired their veteran coach Yuri Semin in the wake of their humiliating defeat to Paris Saint-Germain and a sluggish start to the domestic season.
Dynamo’s Champions League campaign got off to a disastrous start last week with a 4-1 defeat at the hands of PSG that exposed the gap in class between the two sides. Semin has failed to break the ascendancy of Dynamo’s bitter rivals Shakhtar Donetsk, who won the domestic title last year and have also stolen a march to lead the league this season. AFP
