MUNICH: Bayern Munich have joined forces with their home city and the state of Bavaria to launch a bid to secure UEFA Euro 2020 games at its Allianz Arena home.

Bayern on Thursday staged a press conference with its partners where it revealed it would apply to the German Football Association (DFB) with both hosting options in mind. UEFA confirmed last month that Euro 2020 will be staged across 13 different cities in Europe as part of a major restructuring of the quadrennial national team tournament.

The idea to spread the football tournament across Europe was first suggested by UEFA president Michel Platini in June 2012 after a lukewarm response to the governing body’s deadline for expressions of interest in hosting the tournament in its traditional manner. The ‘Euro for Europe’ vision foresees that matches will be split into 13 different packages, with 12 ordinary packages including three group matches and one knockout round (round of 16 or quarter-finals), and one package for the semi-finals and the final.

Bayern ceo Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said Munich’s bid would cover both packages, but admitted the showpiece semi-finals and final option would be the “absolute highlight”.

Munich is set to face national competition from Berlin, Dortmund and Stuttgart and with each association only able to nominate one city Rummenigge conceded that Munich’s bid would have to be approached with a “shot of humility”.

He added: “We have shown with the staging of the UEFA Champions League final in 2012, that we are able to receive the football world as a friendly and a good host.”

Munich’s Mayor, Christian Ude, said Bayern has driven the proposal adding that the co-operation between city, state and club is “unparalleled”. UEFA is set to launch the formal bidding process for Euro 2020 in April, with a deadline for offers set for September. Host cities will be chosen by the UEFA Executive Committee in September 2014.

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Friday, February 22, 2013 Bayern driving Munich’s bid for Euro 2020 action  Bayern Munich has joined forces with its home city and the state of Bavaria to launch a bid to secure UEFA Euro 2020 games at its Allianz Arena home.  Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge admitted the showpiece semi-finals and final package would be the “absolute highlight”…. read more Match-fixing suspect detained in Italy Italian police on Thursday arrested a fugitive Slovenian associate of alleged match-fixing kingpin Tan Seet Eng after he flew in from Singapore to hand himself over…. read more Interpol calls for greater cooperation to fight match-fixing threat Interpol secretary general Ronald Noble has called on world football to cooperate better in a bid to head off the sophisticated measures employed by match-fixers…. read more Premier League clubs losing millions in home game revenue English Premier League clubs are losing out on valuable home game revenue by failing to maximise matchday sales – according to a report from the sports and sponsorship insight team of the BDRC Continental agency…. read more FFA rewards executive with promotion Football Federation Australia (FFA) has appointed John Kelly in the new role of chief operating officer, rewarding him for his part in the organisation’s enhanced television deal…. read more Prefer your news online? Stopped receiving your usual copy? Click here! Is the party over for Real and Barca? Frank Dunne, editor of TV Sports Markets, discusses the impact of collective media rights selling in Spanish football… Spain’s ‘Big Two’ will be working hard behind the scenes with proposals of solidarity payments to smaller clubs to head off reform. But if they have enough business sense they will also be planning for the day when collective selling comes in and restores some kind of economic equilibrium to the Primera Division…. read more