Peter Houston admits it would be a 'dream' for Scotland to co-host Euro 2020, but hopes they can reach a major tournament before then.
Scotland assistant throws weight behind 2020 bid
Scotland assistant Peter Houston admits it would be a 'dream' for Scotland to co-host the European Championships in 2020, but hopes they can reach a major tournament 'on merit' before then.
The Scottish Football Association revealed last week that it had approached UEFA along with Wales and the Republic of Ireland with a view of hosting the tournament in eight years' time.
Should their bid be successful then Craig Levein's men would qualify automatically as one of the hosts.
The Scots have not played in a European Championship since Euro 96 in England and their last major tournament of any kind was the 1998 World Cup in France.
Houston has welcomed the news of a potential 2020 bid, saying: "It would be a dream for us. Whether it can come to fruition or not, I don't know.
"It's certainly something we would love to see. Hopefully we've got enough stadia and hopefully it's a serious bid.
Tourism
"It's something that could bring a lot of tourism and a lot of money to Scotland. It might be a big outlay at first but it would be great to see all the top players.
"I'm going to Poland to watch the Euros for a couple of games myself and it would be great to see that happening when you didn't have to travel so far."
Despite news of the bid emerging Houston hopes Scotland can grace a major finals before 2020, with qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup set to start in the autumn.
"You would like to qualify on merit," added the 53-year-old.
"We are disappointed we are not in the European Championships this summer but we have learned a lot and I think Craig, as well, has learned a lot since he took over.
"You see a picture now of what it's all about.
"We've got some very tough matches now in the World Cup but there's nothing to say you can't do well.
"We have a group of players who have come through and developed, the manager has done a fine job with finding some new players as well."
