It would be “beyond comprehension” for football’s ruling authorities to award Russia the right to host the Euro 2028 tournament, Boris Johnson has said.
The prime minister was speaking after it emerged that Vladimir Putin has launched a last-minute attempt to challenge the bid by the United Kingdom and Ireland.
It had been hoped that the joint UK/Ireland bid would be selected unopposed, but Russia’s Football Union put in an application just hours before the deadline on Wednesday – despite being barred from international football because of the invasion of Ukraine.
The decision will force English, Scottish, Welsh, Northern Irish and Republic of Ireland authorities into a multi-million pound contest to be selected by Uefa in September to host the festival of sport, second only to the World Cup in the global footballing calendar. Turkey has also submitted a last-minute entry.
The UK/Ireland bid remains the hot favourite to secure hosting rights, and Mr Johnson said he did not believe that the Russian application was “a runner”.
Speaking to LBC radio, the prime minister said: “I think it beyond satire that any any football organisation – no matter how bonkers and driven by lucre they may be – would want to give Russia in the present circumstances the right to host a tournament .
“It simply seems beyond comprehension. So I can’t believe it’s really a runner.”
Mr Johnson later appeared to suggest that the 2028 tournament should go to Ukraine – which hosted the Euros jointly with Poland in 2012.
Speaking on his arrival for a Nato summit in Brussels, the PM said: “The idea of Russia holding any kind of football tournament or any kind of cultural event right now is beyond satire. I can’t believe that anybody would seriously consider their suggestions.
“I think the best thing possible would be for the entire Russian armed forces to retire forthwith from Ukraine and hand the tournament to them, of course.”
However, his official spokesperson later insisted that the UK/Ireland bid retains the PM’s “full backing”.
