Germany Euro 2024 Bid Could Harm 2020 Chances Warns Platini

The German Football Association (DFB) has revealed that they will bid to host the UEFA Euro 2024, discount though Michel Platini has said it may harm their bid to stage the final of the 2020 tournament.

Platini did praise Germany and  say they were a “strong candidate”, but he added: “When you bid for the 2024 European Championship, it could mean that you won’t get any votes for the 2020 final.

“But the vote is open. Everyone is free to vote for whomever he wants to vote for. The same applies for France. They have the 2016 European Championship, and this makes it difficult to bid for the 2020 final.”

The 2024 bid is still in the planning stages and was only agreed at a DFB board meeting on Wednesday.

Germany has already bid for one of the Euro 2020 fixture packages and has named Munich as a candidate city for the tournament, which will be held across multiple European nations for the first time. 

DFB president Wolfgang Niersbach said: “Eighteen years after the unique 2006 [German FIFA] World Cup, the time is right for another summer fairytale in Germany. The last time the DFB hosted the Euro was 1988. We think we have a good chance because, as organisers of past tournaments, we always left an excellent impression on FIFA and UEFA.”