Updated on Friday, June 15, 2007, 00:00 IST

Berne, June 15: Voters in the Swiss capital Berne could deal an embarrassing blow to Euro 2008 organisers this weekend when they vote on the city's plans to host three of the tournament's matches.

With just under a year to go until the start of Euro 2008, voters will decide on Sunday whether to back the city government's contribution of 5.6 million Swiss francs ($4.50 million) towards hosting the group stage games.

The city's main political parties have all come out in favour of the payment, but a small committee of green and left-wing politicians are urging voters to reject it - arguing that public money is being used to boost profits at European soccer's governing body UEFA.

"We are not enemies of football," committee member Daniele Jenni told Reuters on Thursday. "We just think it's unjustifiable that taxpayers' money is being used to support a big organisation such as UEFA which is more than capable of covering its own costs."

Those backing the tournament argue that the money is being used primarily to fund events outside of the soccer stadium, including public viewing areas, which will generate additional revenue for the local economy.

"It's highly unlikely that we can stage the matches if the voters come out against the government contribution," Berne's Euro 2008 project leader Marcel Bruelhart said. "The only alternative would be through private sponsorship which would be hard to guarantee in the time remaining."

Euro 2008 chief operating officer Martin Kallen confirmed that a "no" vote could see the group stage matches moved away from Berne, but said that was still only an option.

"We have looked at a number of scenarios," Kallen said during last week's celebrations to mark the tournament's one year countdown. "And one solution could be for the games in Berne to be shared out instead among the other three Swiss host cities of Zurich, Geneva and Basel."

In 2002, voters in canton Berne rejected the city's bid to host the 2010 Winter Olympics, despite the fact that the city had already been short-listed by the IOC.

Euro 2008 is being co-hosted by Switzerland and neighbouring Austria and is set to run from June 7-29.

Bureau Report