Thinking the Unthinkable: France & Italy to Launch Joint Euro 2016 Bid?
Can darkness coexist with light? Can good work alongside evil? Can heaven and hell mesh together to create a place which is not purgatory?
Both France and Italy are known to be interested in hosting the Euro 2016 championships, but what we didn’t know is that they’re so keen they’re contemplating a joint bid for the games. Yes, that’s two bitter rivals on the pitch scheming off of it to spend the next seven years working in unison to organize one of the world’s biggest sporting events.
Surely they must be joking?
Surely not:
Bernard Laporte, France’s secretary for sport, told L’Equipe: “It’s the federation who will decide and it will do what it wants. But me, I prefer to share and to win.
“I hear people speaking of this idea of a joint organisation and we will talk about it during our meeting (with his Italian counterparts).
“The ideal thing would be to go it alone but if an association is the price to pay and if we can’t do anything else, I would not put any obstacles in front of it.”
French Football Federation president Jean-Pierre Escalettes insists his country have the potential to organise a European Championships by themselves but appears open to the idea of submitting a joint bid, as a last resort.
I don’t think there’s any question each country can easily hold their own tournament. France has done so within the last dozen years and a major tournament would be a good, and perhaps necessary, excuse to overhaul some of Italy’s archaic stadiums.
But why would they? Well, lots of reasons. First off, the chances of winning the selection lotto would increase immeasurably. Then there’s the obvious quality of taking the best stadiums and cities from two of Europe’s biggest nations. Swissaustria was nice, but Francalia it ain’t (nickname still very much a work in progress). Plus there’s never been a tournament jointly held between two countries of such magnitude – both generally and in footballing terms. That in itself has to count for something. There are also the financial considerations of splitting the bill yet reaping the benefits of constant travel between the countries. The list goes on and on.
That doesn’t mean it ’s without those involved who are, unsurprisingly, opposed to the concept:
“France doesn’t need anybody,” he said. “We are big enough to organise a world event. We have the ability, the experience. It is a question of prestige.”
Feel free to break out the armchair psychiatrist with that one.
There is one problem, however – well, there are lots of potential problems, but right this second this stands out as the most glaring of options – who hosts the final? Flip a coin? Rochambeau? Do the uefa powers force Les Blues and gli Azzurri to play a “friendly” and the winner gains the final? And what happens when William Gallas headbutts Gennaro Gattuso only for Ivan to scalp Gallas on the spot?
And what happens when the cosmoses align and these two teams inevitably meet in the knockouts, sparking World War III?
Yes, this can only go well.
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Comments
By alessio | March 5th, 2009 at 11:31 am 
That does indeed just sound like a disaster waiting to happen.
Posted from 
Spain
By fg | March 5th, 2009 at 12:01 pm Fritalia 2016?
Posted from 
United States
By Mike | March 5th, 2009 at 12:06 pm bad news for the English….
Posted from United States
By Laurie | March 5th, 2009 at 12:16 pm Italance. Each country gets the same number of letters.
Posted from United States
By Ian | March 5th, 2009 at 12:21 pm I guess if there has to be a joint-bid, I’d prefer it went to two countries who would qualify anyway, so it doesn’t affect the quality of the competition. I have no real issue with this, though I still like the idea of a Turkey 2016 tourney. (Insert like-clockwork predictable anti-Turkish comment below)
By alessio | March 5th, 2009 at 12:22 pm Kebabs suck.
Posted from Spain
By Rob | March 5th, 2009 at 12:39 pm Why do they need to? Thats surely the bigger question. Surely both are able to host one on their own?
By Mike | March 5th, 2009 at 12:59 pm pft, Italy is too good to work with a lowly nation like France on anything.
Posted from United States
By Mike | March 5th, 2009 at 1:12 pm Joking, of course!
As much as I hate France due to our rivalry, there’s no way I couldn’t respect them for their crazy amount of skill.
Posted from United States
By Weston | March 5th, 2009 at 2:39 pm just think though, in 2016 nasri and ben arfa and balotelli and giovinco and chiellini and g. rossi, and montolivo, and marchisio, and toulalan, and lass diarra, and all of the other current future stars of italia and france will all be OLD!
Posted from United States
By Rory | March 5th, 2009 at 5:06 pm Clearly the final should be played in the area most Franco-Italian……. Monaco!! Just think of it, the pinnacle game of European football layed at the 18,000 seat Stade Louis.
Fratalia, Francalty, Itance, Italance. Pfft, stuff it and just call it Germany.
Posted from 
Australia
By mallymoodle | March 5th, 2009 at 5:31 pm In French, Francitalie with the soft *c* in the French *ci*
In Italian, Francitalia with the *ch* c of the Italian *ci*.
Posted from Australia
By Hana | March 5th, 2009 at 8:10 pm Fratalia, I think. Sounds like “Fratelli”, which means brothers in Italian and would really emphasize the strong, almost familial bond of these two footballing powerhouses.
/Sarcasm, Irony, etc.
By jeanpierre | March 6th, 2009 at 9:19 am materazzidane
Posted from 
Netherlands
By Bobo | March 6th, 2009 at 4:09 pm This whole Italy vs. France rivalry is actually a recent phenomenon… FFS, Italians hate Austrians more than they hate the French!
By Doc Latin | March 6th, 2009 at 8:38 pm Why not?
Two of world history’s greatest cultures together in arms. Like King Arthur and Mordred.
And they play pretty good soccer too.
Posted from 
Canada
By Marco P. | March 8th, 2009 at 1:20 am “France doesn’t need anybody,” he said. “We are big enough to organise a world event. We have the ability, the experience. It is a question of prestige.”
Let me guess: RayRay DumDum
By Bobo | March 8th, 2009 at 2:45 pm Whether you like it or not, it’s true. But the same goes for Italy.
By AC | March 9th, 2009 at 4:53 am This isn’t exactly a crazy idea. The rivalry only started in the late 90’s so it’s not like its been around forever. Both Italy & France have the ability of organising the event themselves, but together? Shu, yeah, a final in Monaco would be the eptitome of it all! Actually, I quite like this idea, the more I think about it.
By peter | March 10th, 2009 at 5:38 pm Imagine les vins d’Loire, Bordeaux e Borgogne con i vini italiani friulani, piedmontese, toscane. Wine drinkers, unlike beer drinkers (Germany, Holland, uh, UK)do not urinate in the streets, start brawls or paw women. A civilized European Championship. Wine not?
Posted from United States
By adam | March 14th, 2009 at 8:03 am Guess Zidane was a beer man then 
Sounds silly to have both do it when one can do it just as well.
Posted from 
United Kingdom
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