CELEBRATING FOOTBALL

Azerbaijan has a realistic chance to host the largest football tournament in its sporting history. The Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA) has applied to host the European football championship in Baku in 2020. As is known, the tournament will coincide with the 60th anniversary of the continental championship which is why the UEFA decided to hold the championship in 13 European cities, rather than in just one country. Thirty-two countries have officially applied for the right to host the 2020 championship. The final list of the cities to host the championship will be approved on 25 September 2014. The applicant countries are entitled to amend their applications before 25 April 2014. At the UEFA's recommendation, three matches of the group stage and one match of the 1/8 or 1/4 finals will be held in each of the 12 selected cities. The 13th city will host the two semi-finals and the final match. 

The following cities are now competing with Baku at the initial stage:

St Petersburg. Gazprom Arena is contending for the right to host four matches of the continental championship (3 matches on the group stage and the 1/4 final match). 

Kiev and Donetsk. Unlike Russia, Ukraine nominated two cities - the 70,000 strong Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kiev is contending for the right to host the semi-final matches and the Euro-2020 final. Donbas Arena, on the other hand, is seeking to host the group tournament matches, the 1/8 and 1/4 finals. 

Minsk. The Minsk Arena so far does not comply with the UEFA requirements. It can only accommodate 33,000 people, something that reduces its chances of selection. 

Istanbul. Turkey's nomination is one of the favourites. There is a high probability that the semi-finals and the final will be held on the Ataturk stadium which accommodates 76,000 fans. 

London. The English capital was also contending for the right to host the Euro-2020 semi-finals and the final. However, having learnt about the Istanbul nomination, the UK decided to change their plans. There is a high probability that the group stage matches and play-offs will be held on Wembley. 

Bilbao. So far, Spain has only included the San Mames stadium in Bilbao which can accommodate only 53,000 people. However, it is possible that Spain will give up Bilbao for the sake of Madrid, Barcelona or Valencia.

Leon. France plans to host group stage matches, the 1/8 and 1/4 finals on this stadium which accommodates 58,000 people. 

Amsterdam. The Netherland hopes that Amsterdam Arena owned by FC Ajax will win. Despite the fact that the stadium currently accommodates 53,000 fans, in the event of victory it will be expanded to 60,000 people. Amsterdam Arena is vying for play-off matches. 

Basel. Switzerland pins its hopes on the 38,000-strong stadium of St Jacob Park. It is however unknown which matches they want to host. 

Brussels. In its application Belgium included its 60,000-strong stadium where Anderlecht holds its matches. The country's plans are not yet finalized while its chances of victory are not very high. 

Prague. Even though the Czech Football Federation is interested in hosting the Euro-2020 matches, the stadiums where Sparta and Slavia host their matches do not completely meet the standards. Therefore, it is planned to build a new stadium in the capital. Whether or not the construction will end before the continental championship is unclear. 

Budapest. Hungary is interested in hosting the final matches on the Ferenc Pusk?s stadium. In the event of victory, the stadium, which currently accommodates 65,000 people, will be expanded. 

Belgrade. Even though Serbia is contending to be selected, it has not finalized its plans yet. It will either select one of Belgrade's stadiums or will build a new one. 

Sofia. Even though Bulgaria is starting to build a new stadium, its chances are not very high.

Glasgow. This Scottish city has three stadiums that meet the required standards - Hamden Park, Celtic Park and Ibrox. Glasgow's chances to host Euro-2020 matches are sufficiently high.

Cardiff. Wales also has good chances to be selected. The Millennium stadium in Cardiff is ready to host the continental championship. 

Dublin. It is believed that Dublin has better chances to be selected than Cardiff. The city is one of the strongest contenders.

Lisbon or Porto. Even though Portugal has nominated two cities, it has not made a decision regarding the stadium. 

Yerevan. The Armenian capital's chances are not too high - first of all, due to its lack of experience of hosting large-scale tournaments. On the other hand, Yerevan intends to renovate its stadium if it is selected to host the European championship. Otherwise, Armenia, which is now undergoing a crisis, will not spend any money on this. In this regard, it is expected that UEFA will not support Yerevan's candidacy. 

Elxan Mammadov, the secretary general of the AFFA, has spoken about Baku's chances to host the Euro-2020 matches and the ongoing preparations for this, in an interview with R+.

- First of all, I would like to ask you about how many matches Baku intends to host?

- We have applied to host three matches of the group stage and each of the 1/8 and 1/4 finals. Let us see who else will come up with a similar proposal. We consciously decided against applying for the semi-finals and the final. In that case fans would only see three matches while our plan will enable them to see five. 

- So far, Baku has not hosted any adult European football championships. What are our chances now?

- In recent years, Azerbaijan has hosted a number of important tournaments. Recently we hosted the final part of the world championship among 17-year old girls at a very high level. In 2016, Azerbaijan will host the continental championship among 16 year olds. The UEFA greatly appreciates our country's great care about sports. They appreciate that Baku is capable of hosting the Euro-2020 matches at a high level. 

- What does UEFA president Michel Platini think about Baku's candidacy?

- During his latest visit to Baku, Platini was pleased with what he saw here. Azerbaijan has advanced infrastructure and he emphasized our chances in this respect. However, we should not rush. The list of contender cities will be shortened in April 2014. The cities that have the best conditions will move on to the next stage. At this stage, some of the cities may withdraw their applications. Most importantly, it is necessary for applicant cities to provide material guarantees. 

- What are Baku's advantages over the other candidates?

- First of all, it is our greatest advantage that President Ilham Aliyev supports Baku's candidacy for hosting the Euro-2020 matches. Baku is the first city that enjoys official support. In addition, we started building an Olympic stadium. The arena whose foundation was laid in 2011 will not be build for the 2020 championship alone. We planned to build it anyway. The stadium will become operational in 2015. The UEFA highly appreciates the fact that the stadium will not be built for Euro-2020 alone but in order to improve sport infrastructure in Azerbaijan. 

- What is the main requirement for hosting Euro-2020?

- To host the matches the cities are required to have one stadium and five training grounds. We intend to use the Olympic stadium as the main arena. We also have good transport facilities. The Heydar Aliyev international airport is already prepared for this. The existence of a large airport that meets international requirements is our advantage. Our airport will be able to receive flights from any city. 

- Before Euro-2020 Baku will host the European Games in 2015, as well as the chess Olympics in 2016 and the Islamic Games in 2017. Does this mean that we will be well prepared to host the continental football championship?

- The more international championships we hold at home the more our reputation will increase as a country. The UEFA is aware that Azerbaijan is a sport-friendly country. Baku has hosted many world and European championships in recent years. We have substantial experience in this.

- Which city do you regard as the main rival of Baku?

- It is now too early to discuss this. Next year, some of the applicant cities will move on to the next stage. It is possible that we will pair with some of the former applicants. Spain and Ukraine nominated several cities. However, the UEFA will only allow one city per country to host the matches. Some of the cities may withdraw their candidacies and support others. We greatly value our candidacy. We think that Baku is a worthy candidate. 

- What will Baku gain from hosting Euro-2020?

- Football is not just a sport. It is the king of sports. During the Euro-2020 championship, fans will be able to watch outstanding football clubs performing live. To watch these matches, large numbers of tourists and journalists will arrive in Azerbaijan. A number of international and European TV stations will broadcast the matches live from Baku. Our capital will host a true celebration of football.