Turkey has met the required conditions to host EURO 2024 and expects a “fair evaluation,” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Wednesday, the state-owned Anadolu news agency reported.
The UEFA Executive Committee will meet in Nyon, Switzerland, on Sept. 27 to decide on the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship (EURO 2024) host between Turkey and Germany.
Speaking to Germany’s Funke media group ahead of the UEFA decision, Erdoğan said, “We expect a fair evaluation.”
Underling that Turkey has built new stadiums and sports complexes, unlike other European countries, Erdoğan said, “If UEFA would make an objective evaluation, it would see this.”
The UEFA Executive Committee will announce the host of EURO 2024 at 3:45 p.m. local Turkish time on Thursday. Germany is the only other country bidding to host the tournament.
One issue that could count against Turkey’s bid is its record on human rights, according to Reuters. UEFA lists a country’s rights record as a factor in determining its bid, and Ankara has come under increased scrutiny since a failed coup attempt against President Erdoğan in 2016.
A crackdown on dissent has led to some 50,000 people being arrested pending trial and 150,000 state employees being sacked. Erdoğan also won sweeping new powers with his re-election in June, and Turkey’s economy has been hit by a currency crisis.
