Santa Claus backs Nordic bid

IF, on December 12 in Geneva, Uefa make an early Christmas present of the 2008 European Championships to Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, the hosts promise Santa Claus himself will reciprocate when the draw for the qualifying phase is made three years' hence.

That the Nordic 2008 bid has recruited Father Christmas for a putative qualifying draw in Finland in December 2005 suggests an element of fantasy, but despite the bid encompassing no fewer than six different countries (Iceland and the Faroes Islands are also peripherally involved) it is still a live contender.

The bid, after all, has the backing of Lennart Johansson, the long- serving president of Uefa. Although badly bruised by his recent battles with the Fifa president, Sepp Blatter, Johansson remains a hugely powerful, liked and respected figure in Europe and will be using his influence to secure votes when the Uefa executive meet in Switzerland to award the championships to one of the seven bidders.

Even so, the Nordic campaign is probably lagging third behind those of Austria/Switzerland and Scotland/Ireland in the race to secure the nomination. The logistical problems of four countries hosting the European Championships are likely to outweigh the scenic splendour of cities such as Copenhagen, Helsinki, Oslo and Stockholm. Nor is the fact that the championships were held in Sweden in 1992 an advantage.

In their favour, the Nords do have the required eight stadiums in place and guaranteed to be available (unlike some close to home), although all but Parken in Copenhagen require renovations or extensions to bring them up to the minimum capacity of 30,000 seats.

Goran Havik, a Swede who is one of the officials masterminding the Nordic bid, is adamant that holding the 2008 championships in four separate countries will not be a problem. The plan is to play the opening match and a semi in Copenhagen's Parken Stadium; spread the group matches and the quarter-finals across all four countries (using two stadiums in each); and a semi-final and the final at the Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg. The ground, constructed for the 1958 World Cup and holding fond memories for Aberdeen supporters as the venue for the 1983 European Cup-Winners' Cup, is easily the biggest of the eight on offer, and would have a capacity of 60,650 in 2008.

Hovak said: "To us, Nordic is one unit although we are four separate countries. As soon as we go to school we learn of the cultural and traditional ties which bind us together. The Nordic Council goes back for 50 years."

The similarity with Britain is obvious, but whether Uefa would be enamoured by a tournament staged simultaneously in Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales is a moot point.

Then there is also the issue of which countries would be chosen to play in the finals. In 2000 both Holland and Belgium were awarded automatic qualifying (as were South Korea and Japan in this year's World Cup), but Uefa have already made it clear they would not accept all four Nordic countries in the finals if the bid is successful. This issue has yet to be tackled in detail, but Hovak believes the solution is for Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden to take part in the normal qualifying process. If two are successful the matter is easily resolved, but if any other number qualify, Havik says that an earlier tournament involving the four countries would determine a ranking system which would then be used to determine the two qualifiers. Even this aspect of the bid is complicated, and also leaves the unsatisfactory situation of two countries hosting groups in which they themselves won't be involved.

Nevertheless, if the outcome was decided on scenery, or the friendliness of the Nordic people and their ability to organise championships such as these, the bid would stand as good a chance as any. But there's more to it than that, and by being too strung out the Nordic bid may have strung itself up.

Nor will the Nords speculate on who might win if their own campaign is unsuccessful. "We are concentrating on our own bid," said Havik. "We respect all the other bids, and hope they are successful if we're not."

Nice people the Nords, with or without Santa Claus.

Where they stand Parken Stadium, Copenhagen Euro 2008 capacity 41,781: Ready now.

Founded in 1911 and rebuilt in the 1990s, Parken is Denmark's national ground. A movable roof to cover the stadium was built in 2001.

Planned for 2008: Opening match, two other group matches, quarter- final, semi-final.

Brondby Stadium, Copenhagen Euro 2008 capacity 30,920: Upgrade required.

The stadium has already hosted Champions League matches but will have to be extended to meet the requirements of Euro 2008.

Planned for 2008: Three group matches.

Olympic Stadium, Helsinki Euro 2008 capacity 42,500: Upgrade required.

The Olympic stadium with its 72m tower is a Helsinki landmark. Plans are in place to cover part of the stadium for 2005 and the remainder by 2008.

Planned for 2008: Three group matches, quarter-final.

Ullevaal Stadium, Oslo Euro 2008 capacity 31,240: Upgrade required.

Modern ground which hosts Norwegian national team matches and is also headquarters of the Norwegian Football Association.

Planned for 2008: Three group matches, quarter-final.

Rasunda Stadium, Stockholm Euro 2008 capacity 41,530: Renovations planned.

Swedish national stadium has held men's and women's World Cup finals, as well as important Uefa matches. Also home of the Swedish FA.

Planned for 2008: Three group matches.

Ratina Stadium, Tampere Euro 2008 capacity 32,000: Upgrade required.

Hosted five football matches during 1952 Helsinki Olympics. Needs to be totally reconstructed to meet European Championship requirements.

Planned for 2008: Three group matches.

Lerkendal Stadium, Trondheim Euro 2008 capacity 30,849: Extension required.

Very modern town centre stadium which nevertheless needs to be further extended for 2008. Has hosted Champions League matches.

Planned for 2008: Three group matches.

Ullevi Stadium, Gothenburg Euro 2008 capacity 60,650: Renovations planned.

Built for the World Cup in 1958 and fondly remembered by Aberdeen fans, there are new stands planned for both ends of the pitch.

Planned for 2008: Three group matches, quarter-final, semi-final, final.

alan campbell

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