Exclusive: Romanian FA Hope Political Situation Does Not Affect Euro 2020 Bid
February 4, 2013
The Romanian Football Federation (FRF) has made the first steps in bidding to host a match at Euro 2020, but are concerned that the political situation in the country could scupper their attempts once again.
Romania prepared a bid to jointly host Euro 2012 with Hungary, but ultimately lost out to Poland and the Ukraine due to political reasons.
The country is under a coalition government and the European Commission have previously expressed their concerns with Romania’s political set-up.
Speaking exclusively to iSportconnect, Mircea Sandu, President of the FRF and a member of the UEFA Executive Committee confirmed Romania had started the bidding process for Euro 2020 but was wary of politics ruining their chances.
Sandu said: “It is true that we intended to bid jointly with Hungary for the Euro 2012. Unfortunately, the political situation was not the necessary one in order to assure the continuity, so that the project discussed could not be developed and finalised.
“With regards to the Euro 2020, after having a preliminary discussion with Bucharest’s General Mayor, we agreed to undergo the necessary steps, so that I, on behalf of the Romanian FA, sent maybe the first letter of intention to UEFA’s President and General Secretary. The biding requirements will be at the disposal of all National Associations after the UEFA ExCo meeting in Sofia on the 28 March 2013 and all FAs will have at their disposal 14 months, until May 2014, in order to fulfil all the requirements.
“Finally, it will be a political decision, because there will be involved the Government, the Parliament and Bucharest’s City, which have to ensure a big budget and also to approve laws in order for these biding requirements to be fulfilled. I hope that the final decision will be a positive one, but obviously our hopes and our commitment are not enough, because, as I already mentioned, this decision is a political one, and I hope that all the parties, especially the ruling party coalition, will understand the significance of such an event not only for Bucharest, but also for our whole country.”
Sandu hopes that the Bucharest National Arena will be picked for a game at the tournament and confirmed that the stadium and city, which were used in the UEFA Europa League final, would be suitable for Euro 2020.
Bucharest is easy to reach from various other nations in Europe and meets the requirements set by UEFA that travel time cannot be above four hours.
If Romania is successful, Sandu is confident the game will benefit the country and the competition in general. He added: “Be sure that the investments will be done, not only for the Romanian people and for Romania, but also for all the tourists, teams and officials who would travel to Bucharest.
“It would also be a fantastic emulation for our football and sport, with benefits and results in the future.”