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Istanbul leading Wembley in 2020 European Championships bid

FA general secretary Alex Horne admits that Wembley is probably behind Istanbul in the running to win the rights to host the final stages of Euro 2020.

The FA have hinted that Istanbul are the "front runners" to host the semi-finals and final of the 2020 European Championships.

England's football governing body have submitted a bid to have Wembley as the venue for the latter stages of the tournament, which will be shared between 13 cities across Europe rather than being held in one country.

FA general secretary Alex Horne has suggested that Turkey's failure to land the Olympics in the same year, which were instead awarded to Tokyo, puts them in a favourable position with UEFA.

"We've taken some soundings, there's a sympathy for Turkey and it does feel like they are the front-runners," Horne told reporters at Wembley. "We get the politics around Istanbul, having not got the Olympics."

The Ataturk Olympic Stadium, which has a capacity of 76,092 and hosts all the matches played by the Turkish national team, is likely to be the chosen venue if Istanbul is successful in its bid.

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England manager Roy Hodgson looks on at the start of the international friendly football match between England and Scotland on August 14, 2013
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