FRANKFURT: Germany’s DFB has confirmed it will bid to host the European Championship finals in 2024 and has invited cities to apply to join the project.

The DFB has hosted the national team tournament on one previous occasion in 1988 and has been considering a bid for Euro 2024 for a number of years. Its managing board has now taken a unanimous decision to bid and an official declaration of interest will be submitted to European governing body UEFA by the March 3 deadline.

The DFB will seek to choose 10 stadiums for the tournament and has requested venues with a capacity of at least 30,000 to declare their interest by February 17. A decision on the 10 venues will be made on September 15.

Officials noted that it has engaged the Transparency International non-governmental organisation to assist with its bid.

DFB president Reinhard Grindel was elected last year after the resignation of his predecessor Wolfgang Niersbach due to his involvement in the scandal surrounding Germany’s bid for the 2006 World Cup, which is currently under investigation.

Grindel said: “The European Championship in 2024 can be an important flagship project for German football. We will do a first-class job, paying very careful attention to ensuring that we select in a transparent and logical process the possible 10 host cities.

“We have the infrastructure and we have the know-how to set up an economically sound and ecologically sound Euro.”

Germany may face competition from a Nordic co-hosting bid led by Denmark and involving Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland.

UEFA will take a decision in September 2018.

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