Friday 19 September 2014 21:57, UK
England manager Roy Hodgson has described UEFA’s decision to choose Wembley Stadium as the host venue for the semi-finals and finals of Euro 2020 as “a great honour.”
Thirteen cities will share responsibility for hosting the games but London won the right to stage the three closing matches of the tournament and Hodgson was delighted by the news.
“I think it’s fantastic and a great honour of course. Greg Dyke, Alex Horne and the FA board have put in a lot of effort,” said Hodgson.
“Luckily we have David Gill (former CEO of Manchester United) on the chief executive committee of UEFA now and I know all these people have worked hard to get London as the host city for the semi-finals and final.
“I think it means a lot to the country, a lot for our football and I think it’s a very good choice as well because Wembley is a wonderful arena and London is a great city, so I think it’s a success all round.”
But Hodgson refuted the suggestion England’s players will be under extra pressure to perform as they look to reach the final four of a tournament they will be the primary hosts of.
“If you go into a major tournament, there is always pressure on the coach, the staff and the players,” he added.
“Playing matches in your home arena is still a big advantage and I think it will be a big spur for the players.
“We have a very young team at the moment and many of them will be thinking, ‘I am going to still be playing ion 2020, I will still be around’.
“I think it is a spur for them to kick on to make sure they use their experience of playing in the national team to make certain when these semi-finals and final are being played, they are in the team and playing.”
As for the suggestion he could still be charge of England in 2020, Hodgson insisted that was too far in the future, with his immediate focus ensuring England qualify for the European Championship in France in 2016.
“I am not considering that (Euro 2020) at the moment. My interest is 2016,” said Hodgson.
“I don’t ever project further than a couple of years in football, although I realise UEFA and FAs have to do that.
“But for me, 2016 is the most important thing and then we will see what happens after that.”
