Germany to host Euro 2024

Germany on Thursday won the race to host the 2024 European Championship as UEFA backed a bid seen as safer than the rival Turkish proposal.

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin announ-ced the winner following a campaign that saw politics and concerns over human rights in Turkey play a central role.

"I'd like to thank the UEFA Executive for their incredible confidence and I feel the responsibility -- we will do our utmost to live up to expectations," said German Football Association (DFB) president Reinhard Grindel after the announcement.

"We want to put on a huge football festival and show the world how hospitable we are," said ex-Germany captain Philipp Lahm, who will head the organising committee.

UEFA considered that the German bid already had everything in place to host a successful event -- from stadiums to infrastructure and hotels.