Celts stunned by failed Euro bid

The sense of shock and disbelief among Scottish and Irish officials was almost tangible when their joint bid to stage the 2008 European Championships not only failed, but was painfully crushed by Europe's governing body yesterday.

Despite the rumours and counter-rumours – most of which indicated that they would lose narrowly to the joint bid by Switzerland and Austria – the Scottish FA chief executive, David Taylor, and his campaign team looked as if they had seen a ghost.

Finishing behind the long-time favourites was not what fuelled Taylor's disappointment and he congratulated the winners in a short, but meaningful address. But when it emerged that second-placed Hungary and the joint bid by Greece and Turkey, both regarded previously as outsiders, had also overtaken the Scots and Irish in the secret ballot, it was almost too much to bear.

"I just do not understand it," said a gaunt-looking Taylor, whose final presentation to Uefa on Wednesday was said to have been the best of the seven candidates. "In terms of technical assessment, we had a 94 per cent rating compared to the 95 per cent of Switzerland and Austria. The others were not even in the 90s. We need as much information as possible as to why this happened."

It transpired that Uefa's national teams committee had not even recommended the Celtic bid for final consideration and, although it was lifted into fourth spot by the voting members of Uefa's executive committee, the damage had been done.

David Will, a vice-president of Fifa, the world game's governing body, and Scotland's most senior official said: "I was totally confident we would be in the last three, but we were crippled by the national teams committee. I couldn't believe we were excluded by them."

The English FA chairman, Geoff Thompson, was equally enraged, apparently kicking a plastic football in frustration. Even the Swiss and Austrians, after pledging to put on a tournament to remember with seven either new or renovated stadiums, were puzzled at the absence of the Scots and Irish in the final shake-up.

"I'm completely surprised they were not in the final round," said the Swiss federation president, Ralph Zloczower. "I really can't explain, but I always thought there may be a surprise. The Turks and Greeks had a very strong bid regardless of the political situation."

Zloczower, whose country rates skiing and cycling higher than football, insisted every game would sell out, but admitted that without Austria the bid would have stood little chance. The Austrians had already made two failed bids, having lost out to England for 1996 and to Portugal for 2004.

An apparent lack of commitment from the Irish side could well have contributed. One national teams committee member, who declined to be named, said the unresolved question of which Irish stadiums would be used was a key reason why the joint bid failed, together with the idea of using three venues in one city, Glasgow.

But Will insisted the £1m investment made by Scotland and Ireland would not be wasted. "Austria have proved that if you try and try again, it can work," he said. "This has set us up for another go."