Walker rebuilds trust over major events

Euro 2008: Image of Scots and Irish should be untarnished as repair work forges ahead after Picketts Lock fiasco

Have you heard the one about the Englishman, the Irishmen and the Scotsmen? No joke, this. If the Scots and the Irish can persuade Uefa on Thursday that theirs are the lands where the European Championships should jointly rest in 2008 then the part played by an Englishman should not go unheralded.

As the chairman of UK Sport Sir Rodney Walker has helped ensure that the two nations have had the financial muscle to put together a bid capable of giving the six other contenders a run for their money. At Walker's behest UK Sport, the government quango over which he has presided for five years, have bankrolled the bid to the tune of £320,000 as part of a policy to restore the good name of British sport in the international arena.

The handout covers about a third of the £1m that has been required to thrust the bid among the front runners and Walker, recognised as Britain's most experienced and effective sports overlord, reckons the Scotland-Ireland team are in with a shout.

As a self-made multi-millionaire, and a Yorkshireman, he is canny with cash, even though this comes courtesy of the Lottery. "UK Sport would not have invested this amount if we did not believe the bid was viable," he said. "I was present when the Uefa delegation visited Scotland and my perception is that they are taking it very seriously. My reading of the situation is that Scotland-Ireland are certainly in the top two, alongside the joint bid from Austria and Switzerland. I think they are in with a very good chance and we will be doing everything we can to ensure it happens."

He acknowledges that the major weakness in the bid is that the Irish have been unable to show Uefa the stadia where they plan to play their share of the fixtures. "But this has to be weighed against the magnificent stadia they will have seen in Scotland," he said. "I think that overall it is a very compelling bid and I have absolutely no doubt that the Irish government are committed to delivering what they promise."

Ah, promises, promises. Are they worth the official notepaper they are written on? He needed no reminding it was a bit of Blair blarney which left the IAAF, athletics' world governing body, spitting blood when his Government reneged on the pledge to build a stadium to host the 2006 world championships. "Yes, we are all very much aware what killing off the Picketts Lock project did to Britain's international sporting reputation. But this is a different situation and I think there are a number of reasons to be optimistic.

"The legacy of Picketts Lock manifested itself when we weren't initially awarded the world rowing championships for 2006. But we appealed and now we've got them. That was the first sign that there was still a willingness to trust us again and do business with us on major sporting events.

"Undoubtedly the success of the Commonwealth Games in Manchester has gone a huge way to repairing any lasting damage. The fact that we are already able to say that the 2003 world indoor athletics championships in Birmingham is pretty much a sell-out two months ahead of the event is an enormous demonstration of how, if we are given the tools, we can do the job. We've gone a long way to repairing the damage that clearly was done.

"And you must remember that this is a Scottish and Irish bid, not an English one. The cock-up over Picketts Lock was down to England, so it would be unfair to tarnish either Scotland or Ireland with anything that has gone before."

One of the prime functions of UK Sport is to co-ordinate the staging of major events. Since Sir Rodney took over they have been involved with attracting over 70 Commonwealth, European and world championships to Britain, including the Commonwealth Games, the world amateur boxing championships in Belfast, the world half-marathon championships in Bristol and next year's world indoor athletics championships and world badminton championships in Birmingham.

They receive £1.6m from the Lottery to assist with the bidding process for such events which, once they are secured, invariably have a beneficial economic effect on the local community, despite the assertion to the contrary made in the report on sport by the Government's Strategy Unit. Significantly, that has been re-written in the version due to be published on 19 December. The decision to amend the report is seen as an indication that there has been a shift in Whitehall towards supporting a 2012 London Olympics bid.

UK Sport have already given their "enthusiastic and unanimous" support but, unlike Euro 2008, they are not backing it with cash. Neither are Sport England. "We are not in a position to give financial support from our limited resources," says Walker.

"Neither do we feel it appropriate that the sports Lottery funding, which is already suffering from falling ticket sales and money being diverted in the New Opportunities Fund, could be used. Our support for the bid was predicated on the understanding that it would have all-party support with the Government as the principal funder."

However, Walker warns against the 2006 World Cup syndrome, when many of those associated with the English bid thought it a foregone conclusion it would win. "To bid and be successful would be wonderful, but to bid anyway would be hugely important in demonstrating to world sport how serious we are about being centre stage for major sports events.

"We must not go into it with an air of superiority or arrogance, which may have cost us the 2006 bid. I can't believe that the lessons have not been learned, as they must have been over Wembley [of which he was called in as a troubleshooter at one stage]. There were so many fingers in the pie. No one was properly in charge of the project. Now the Government have to take a lead."

Walker, who this year relinquished chairmanships of the Rugby League and Leicester City plc, is due to step down from his UK Sport role next July. "Before I finally disappear from the sporting scene I would like to see us have another, properly-structured stab at getting the world athletics championships. I was involved in the original bid for 2006 and I believe that the world is well on its way to forgiving us for letting them down."

The Scots and the Irish now hope they can profit from such benevolence, thanks to a little help from their English friend.

Hosts with the boasts How the rival bids compare

The Contenders

Ireland, Scotland

Odds: 5-1

Slogan: We can

What they say

Technical support strong, economic argument peerless, political support unquestionable, and supporters absolutely outstanding.

The plus points

Uefa impressed with 2001 Champions' League final in Glasgow; good stadia, especially in Scotland; enthusiasm and reputation of fans.

The pitfalls

Distance between the two countries; uncertainty over the Dublin stadia, notably Croke Park where there is a dispute with the Gaelic football body.

The stadia

Hampden Park, Celtic Park, Ibrox, Murrayfield, Aberdeen (new), Dundee (new); two in Dublin from Lansdowne Road, Croke Park and new national stadium.

Austria, Switzerland

Odds: 9-11

Slogan: Football's best – close to you

What they say

Our candidature represents football at the very centre of Europe, with its doors opening directly on the East as well as on the leading football nations of the North, South and West.

The plus points

Impressive work on new and revamped stadia; successful staging of Uefa Under-21 championship in Switzerland; central geograph-ical position; Switzerland the home of Uefa.

The pitfalls

Neither country a major player in European football; small domestic attendances.

The stadia

Ernst Happel (Vienna), Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Salzburg; Wankdorf (Berne), Basle, Geneva, Zurich.

Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden

Odds: 7-2

Slogan: Smiling football

What they say

Have you ever heard of stadiums that smile? At Uefa Euro 2008 à la Nordic, there are eight top-level stadia with safety and smiles guaranteed. At the stadium Service Centre, everything is arranged for you.

The plus points

Efficient organisation; experience based on Sweden's staging of Euro 1992; splitting the costs four ways.

The pitfalls

Logistics of four countries with four different currencies; lack of interest among the two that do not qualify for the tournament automatically.

The stadia

Copenhagen (2); Helsinki, Tampere; Oslo, Trondheim; Gothenburg, Stockholm.

The Outsiders

Greece, Turkey

Odds: 10-1

Staging the 2004 Olympics in Athens would appear to be enough to be going on with for the Greeks, while frequent crowd trouble in both countries must be a big minus. A rather unlikely political alliance.

Russia

Odds: 10-1

The tournament has only once been staged in eastern Europe (Yugoslavia, 1976), and geographical even-handedness is the best argument for Russia. But the Moscow theatre siege came at a bad time, raising unwanted security worries, and there is little support from the Putin government.

Hungary

Odds: 25-1

The Hungarians are billing their bid as "an invitation to New Europe", but do not look ready yet for a major tournament. Domestic game remains financially weak. Also failed to deliver on their proposed 2004 bid with Austria.

Croatia, Bosnia

Odds: 25-1

Not so much a serious bid as a marker for the future. Vast improvements required to stadia and infrastructure. Not much work has been started.

Compiled by Steve Tongue