Baku approved as candidate to host 2020 European Football Championship
By Nigar Orujova
UEFA, the governing body of football in Europe, has approved Baku as a candidate to host the continent's football championship in 2020, the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA) told Trend news agency on September 20.
The decision was made at a meeting of UEFA member states in the Croatian city of Dubrovnik, AFFA said.
The other cities seeking to host the championship include London, Yerevan, Minsk, Brussels, Sofia, Budapest, Munich, Athens, Roma, Milan, Astana, Warshaw, Amsterdam, St Petersburg, Bucharest, Istanbul and others.
UEFA will soon shortcut the candidates to 13.
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev decreed earlier this year to prepare for Baku's bid to host the championship. A working group was established under the leadership of AFFA President Rovnag Abdullayev to draw up a "Bid Book", which was presented to UEFA.
"Hosting such a grand sporting event in Baku would help develop football in Azerbaijan," Youth and Sports Minister Azad Rahimov said in May. "It would be a great opportunity to present our country to the world."
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