SPORTS

Greek bid to host Europa Conference League to be withdrawn, report says

Greek bid to host Europa Conference League to be withdrawn, report says

The Hellenic Football Federation (EPO) is planning to withdraw Greece's bid to host the final of the UEFA Europa Conference League of 2022 or 2023 in the city of Heraklion, despite the city being a strong favourite to host the game, according to sources cited by the state-run news agency ANA-MPA on Sunday.

The ANA sources said that the decision was linked to EPO's displeasure with Deputy Sports Minister Lefteris Avgenakis and as a way of demonstrating disagreement with the government's policies on issues relating to football.

After Skopje and St. Etienne withdrew their bids, Tirana was Iraklion's only rival but over the past few days EPO has been seeking ways to withdraw the Greek bid, for which the Greek working team submitted the final details requested by UEFA on June 15, the report claims.

The assessment of the bids and visits to candidate-cities are due to be completed by September 9, while the final decision is to be announced on December 3.

EPO's surprising plans were revealed just days after the news that Athens is to host the Champions League group stage draw and UEFA Player of the Year award ceremony on October 10.

[ANA-MPA]

Subscribe to our Newsletters

Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights, opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox.

By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.