The Football Association of Wales (FAW) and the Scottish Football Association (SFA) have scrapped plans for a joint bid to host the Euro 2016 tournament due to the economic downturn.

UEFA, European football's governing body, has already decided to expand the tournament from 16 to 24 teams, which both the FAW and SFA said would make it difficult to provide the necessary infrastructure. Bid regulations stipulate that prospective hosts must be able to provide nine stadia, with at least two stadia required to offer a capacity of 50,000 or more, three with a capacity of at least 40,000 and four with a capacity of at least 30,000.

In Wales, only Cardiff's Millennium Stadium currently meets those requirements, and both associations have admitted that they cannot afford the millions of pounds that would have to be spent on a bid to stage the tournament. FAW general secretary, David Collins, said: "The current economic downturn and the very considerable implications for infrastructure provision following UEFA's decision to expand the European Championship Finals to 24 teams are key considerations.

"While the ambition to host a future tournament remains undiminished, the unanimous view is that a bid for Euro 2016 is premature and will not maximise Scotland and Wales' chances of success." Gordon Smith, SFA chief executive, added: "We do want to host a major championships here in Scotland but, particularly in these tough economic times, we have to be realistic about the costs involved."

Image: Britain on View