GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — UEFA boss Michel Platini defended the choices of host cities for Euro 2020 yesterday, after top candidates like Cardiff and Stockholm failed to make it through.

“I wanted this competition to go all over Europe and you see today: it’s spread from east to west, north to south. These are really very good choices that were made by the executive committee,” he said.

Four of the 19 candidates — Minsk (Belarus), Sofia (Bulgaria), Skopje (Macedonia) and Jerusalem (Israel) — were eliminated before voting began yesterday as they failed to meet the criteria to host four games at Euro 2020.

But of the remaining 15, “there were four eastern European countries. And all four were chosen,” Platini noted, adding he would have liked to see more candidates from the region.

Had Sofia or Skopje met the European football’s governing body’s criteria, they might also have been chosen, he added.

As it stands, London will host the final and semi-finals in Wembley stadium.

The 12 other host cities are: Munich (Germany), Baku (Azerbaijan), Saint Petersburg (Russia), Rome (Italy), Copenhagen (Denmark), Bucharest (Romania), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Dublin (Ireland), Bilbao (Spain), Budapest (Hungary), Brussels (Belgium) and Glasgow (Scotland).

“Look at the quarter-finals: there are two eastern European countries, and two western European ones,” Platini said.

“The members of the executive committee tried to find a balance, so that it is really a European competition.”

“Of course I’m disappointed,” he said of the failure of some smaller nations to make a suitable bid.

But “they were candidates at least, they made an effort to be part of the competition”, he said.

For the 60th anniversary of the tournament, first held in 1960, UEFA decided to organise a “Euro for Europe” across the whole continent.

“We’ll be able to bring this competition to all the countries of Europe and especially to countries that would never otherwise have the chance to host such a competition,” Platini said.

Candidates were divided into several geographic zones to ensure not all hosts were clustered in one region, which helps to explain why Cardiff was left out, UEFA having already picked Glasgow, Dublin and London.

Asked about human rights concerns in countries like Azerbaijan, which will host a quarter-final and three group stage games, Platini was adamant: “Football is football and politics is politics.”

These countries “are part of Europe, they’re part of UEFA. I don’t see why they shouldn’t be given the opportunity.

“If we start looking at all these problems, we won’t be seeing much football in the world,” he added.