BAKU: Azerbaijan’s football federation wants to host the climatic trio of matches in the 2020 European Championship. This would comprise the two semi-finals and the finals.

State President Ilham Aliyev has signed an order on measures guarantting the federation’s bid to nominate the new stadium being built in capital of Baku on the western coast of the Caspian Sea.

An introduction in the presidential order points out that state support  for sports in Azerbaijan means that various international sports competitions, including world and European championships, are held in the country each year.

Last autumn Azerbaijan hosted the finals of the FIFA Women’s U-17 World Cup with most of the matches being staged in Baku. The city will also host the inaugural multi-sport European Games.

European football federation UEFA decided last year that the finals of the 2020 tournament would be spread across 12 cities with No13 hosting the semi-finals and the final. Wembley and Berlin are both considered serious contenders.

Originally Azerbaijan had proposed a joint bid for the finals in their entirety along with neighbouring Georgia.

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