Euro 2020 bid confirmed
The 19 members of the country’s football association, the DBU, have unanimously backed plans for Denmark to be one of the host nations of Euro 2020, a tournament that UEFA last year revealed would be hosted by 13 cities to celebrate the competition’s 60th anniversary. “We agreed that it is the only realistic chance for a country like Denmark to host the finals,” DBU chairman Allan Hansen told Sporten.dk. Hansen said the DBU was hopeful of the Nordic countries hosting a whole group, which would see Denmark host at least two games, and that it would be discussed at a regional meeting in August. Following that, a letter of intent needs to be sent to UEFA by September, and an official bid by next April, after which the host cities will be revealed in September 2014.
Playing for second
The national men’s rugby union side on Saturday lost 3-46 away in Israel just one week after an impressive home demolition of their own, a 38-0 trouncing of Serbia in Odense. The result leaves Israel as clear favourites to win Division 2B, which is four tiers below the Six Nations. With four games remaining, Denmark sit third behind Latvia, who they have not yet played at home.
Crazy about the boys
Robert Martinez, the Spanish coach of English Premier League strugglers Wigan Athletic, is “crazy about the Danish mentality towards attacking football”, according to a report in Tipsbladet. Martinez has tried to sign several Danes before, but he would not disclose their identities out of respect for those involved. Wigan sit 18th in the EPL and are among the three favourites to be relegated.
Eager for Euros
Brøndby IF attacker Sanne Troelsgaard Nielsen has told Uefa.com that the women’s national team are confident of improving on 2009 by qualifying for the knockout stage of Euro 2013, which is due to take place in Sweden from July 10-28. Like in 2009, Denmark take on the hosts in the opening game. In two warm-up games earlier this month, they lost to the Dutch 0-1 and beat Russia 5-1.
Løchte loses to missing link
It was bound to happen eventually, and last week Denmark’s only winner of a grand slam tennis title this century, Frederik Løchte Nielsen, lost to Britain’s Jonathan Marray, the player with whom he lifted the doubles titles at last year’s Wimbledon. Playing with Julian Knowle, he lost 4-6, 6-7 to Marray and Colin Fleming at the Monte Carlo Masters, a clay warm-up tournament ahead of next month’s French Open.
