Dalglish backs legacy for a new generation

Scottish legend believes bid can bring real investment

Regardless of how influential they once were, Kenny Dalglish would be the first to admit his legs are no match for Claudia Schiffer's. Uefa, however, are taking no chances. European football's governing body don't want to see Scotland's most celebrated footballer in the flesh on Thursday, not even if he's wearing a kilt. Dalglish is one of the Scots' ambassadors for the joint bid with the Republic of Ireland to stage Euro 2008, but it's all Claudia's fault he won't get the chance to play away from home for his country, one more time.

The supermodel's assets were a bit too obvious when she was part of the German delegation for the successful – surprise, surprise – bid to stage the 2006 World Cup finals. Uefa were keen for their powerbrokers not to behave like panting schoolboys, so they banned all seven contenders from bringing their array of celebrities to Geneva.

Instead, the Scots were forced to wheel out Dalglish in midweek at a London restaurant. Some might consider a Dalglish charm offensive as an oxymoron, but when it comes to the country that gave him 102 caps, he can become passionate. The Celtic and Liverpool legend believes that giving the finals to Scotland could prompt the same boom that it did south of the border six years ago.

"There's no doubt that Euro 96 helped England and English football," reflected Dalglish. "The nation really got behind them, stadiums everywhere – Anfield, Old Trafford, Newcastle – were modernised, and it did a lot for young footballers. That has started to bear fruit with the number of youngsters coming through."

Dalglish played in three World Cup finals for Scotland, but never in the European Championship finals. When the Scots finally made it, in 1992 and 1996, he had long since hung up his boots but he is keen for a new generation to be ready to inherit its opportunity, and sees the money spent on staging Euro 2008 as an investment rather than an irresponsible waste.

"There will be an investment in great stadia, but also in grass roots," said Dalglish, who hopes that Westminster's arm would be twisted into being as generous as it was funding projects at Euro 96. "The Scottish system has good quality young players at 15, but after that there is not as much development as in England. Everyone knows Scottish football is not going through a good phase, but this [Euro 2008] would be the light at the end of the tunnel."

While the focus within Scotland has been on the delay from across the Irish Sea of delivering guarantees about the two Dublin stadia it is contributing to the bid, the reality is that – in pure bricks and mortar terms – the Scots are ahead of the field. They already have Hampden Park (52,000), Celtic Park (61,000), Ibrox Park (50,000) and Murrayfield (67,000), while two new, 30,000-seat stadia would be built in Aberdeen and Dundee. The Alpine collaboration of Austria-Switzerland – in pole position, as you would expect from a bid spearheaded by Michael Schumacher – has only two of its eight grounds completed.

Euro 2008 is a winner-take-all race. The bid process itself has cost the Scottish Football Association £1m. If they are successful, the SFA would get £70m from the Scottish Executive – nothing, if not. Yet, David Taylor, the chief executive, hopes to lobby for improved external investment, regardless of what happens.

"What we would like to see is some sort of legacy, even if we don't get the finals," said Taylor who, like Dalglish, hopes that Uefa's executives remember the Champions' League final at Hampden Park last May when it comes to making their minds up.

"Everyone who came to Glasgow appreciated the atmosphere," said Dalglish. "The fans are the most important part of football – and we've got some of the best."