London (AFP)
Despite the sanctions imposed on Monday by UEFA following the incidents surrounding the Euro-2020 final, the United Kingdom and Ireland still hope to organize the World Cup 2030, an official said on Tuesday. the British sports agency.
"There are lessons to be learned, the (English Football Association) FA ordered an audit by Baroness Casey. It is very serious. But I do not think that means that our candidacy is destroyed," Simon said. Morton, the managing director of the government agency UK Sport.
Mr. Morton is part of a working group tasked with studying a possible candidacy of the United Kingdom and Ireland for the organization of the World Cup which will follow that of Qatar in 2022 and that organized jointly by the United States, Canada and Mexico in 2026.
UEFA had imposed a closed-door match and a suspended sentence on England, as well as a fine of 100,000 euros on the English federation, due to the violent behavior of English fans before and during the final of the Euro-2020 against Italy.
Hundreds of supporters without tickets had notably forced the doors of Wembley stadium to enter and watch the match, while videos posted on social networks had shown violent attacks in the halls of the stadium.
"I don't think (these events) are representative of the way this country hosts sporting events. We have a great reputation, not only because we host great events, but also because we host them in a safe and secure way. in complete safety ", he declared before the parliamentary committee in charge of Culture, Digital, Media and Sports.
In September, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin had already allayed fears in The Times a bit by claiming that Wembley remained essential equipment for staging finals of international club competitions in the future.
Morton also spoke out against moving to a World Cup every two years instead of four: "a + over-saturation + of sports competitions and is a real risk," he said.
© 2021 AFP