ST. PETERSBURG, April 25 (R-Sport) - Russia has formally submitted its bid to host three group stage games and one quarterfinal of the Euro 2020 football championships in St. Petersburg, Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said Friday.
Euro 2020 will be the first time the European championships have been held in more than two countries, and 13 cities in as many nations are to host games. Only one city from each country can bid, with the hosts to be announced by UEFA in September.
“We know that the U.S.S.R. was the first champion of Europe and that’s one of the reasons to invite Euro 2020 to Petersburg,” Mutko said, referring to the Soviet Union’s 1960 win.
“Petersburg will host World Cup 2018 games and that also brings confidence that we can host the tournament [Euro 2020].”
Mutko said the bid had the support of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and the upper house of parliament.
St. Petersburg governor Georgy Poltavchenko pledged the support of the city government for the bid.
“Petersburg is the homeland of Russian football. Here the first club was created, the first match played,” Poltavchenko said. “The city will be able to satisfy all the necessary demands of the organizers, of the players and of the fans completely.”
Mutko, who is a member of the FIFA executive committee, said that if St. Petersburg’s bid was successful, then “the Russian national team will play in St. Petersburg,” although UEFA has yet to give any guarantee that the 13 host nations will play any games at home. The hosts will also have to qualify, UEFA has said.
Mutko’s support for the St. Petersburg bid comes seven months after he said the country would have “near zero” chances of winning, with the tournament coming so soon after Russia hosts the 2018 World Cup.
That was flatly denied by FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who told R-Sport in September that hosting the World Cup would be an advantage to any Russian bid, as it would be a a guarantee that all the necessary infrastructure would be ready.
St. Petersburg's planned 69,000-seater stadium will host a semifinal at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and will also be the new home of club side Zenit St. Petersburg.
It is due to open in 2015, seven years behind schedule following a litany of delays, and is projected to cost around $1.1 billion, more than double the original estimate.
A total of 39 cities across Europe expressed interest in bidding for Euro 2020 in the initial phase of the process in September. One country will host the semifinals and final, and the other 12 will hold a mix of group stage and knockout matches.
