Turkey's bid to host the 2016 European Championship has been helped by the government pledging about euro1 billion ($1.4 billion) to build and redevelop football stadiums.
New stadiums will be built in Ankara, Izmir, Bursa, Konya, Eskiehir and Antalya. There will be a major redevelopment of the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, while the Turk Telekom Arena and the Kadir Has Stadium will undergo improvements.
The euro920 million-funding ($1.3 billion) is dependent on Turkey's bid being successful in the May 27 vote, but the government also announced Thursday that it will invest euro27 billion ($38 billion) improving the country's infrastructure over the next six years regardless of the outcome.
France and Italy are also bidding.
