Italy counting on Platini's honesty for Euro 2016
Italy is counting on UEFA president Michel Platini's
professionalism preventing any favoritism in the race to host the
2016 European Championship.
Along with Italy, Platini's native France and Turkey are also
bidding for the 24-team tournament, with the host set to be chosen
at a May 28 meeting in Geneva.
A UEFA delegation wrapped up a two-day visit to Italy on
Tuesday with a government reception at Palazzo Chigi, which houses
the office of Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi.
"I think Platini is a great manager and UEFA president, and
as UEFA's president he should want to make sure that the choice is
made in the interests of the organization he's in charge of,"
Italian football federation president Giancarlo Abete said. "We
have two valid opponents - France and Turkey - that each present
different characteristics. (France) has a lot of tradition - just
like Italy - and Turkey is a country that wants to organize an
international event to improve its integration with Europe. But
Italy has its cards to play and that's what we're doing."
Italy has not hosted a major football tournament since the
1990 World Cup, and hosting the Euros would help the country
renovate many of its dilapidated stadiums.
Concerns in Italy include fan violence and the ongoing trial
related to the 2006 match-fixing scandal, which is threatening to
explode again.
The UEFA delegation was led by Gilberto Madail, the chairman
of body's national team competitions committee.
"We're still in the evaluation phase of the dossier, but the
meeting was positive and we'll be able to make more considerations
after May 15 when UEFA publishes its evaluation report," Abete
added.