Taylor wants to focus on the regeneration of Scottish football

The Scottish Football Association has contacted Fifa about bringing the tournament, which features some of the world's finest teams, to Scotland.

But the SFA's chief executive David Taylor has ruled out the possibility of lodging a bid to host Euro 2012.

"All of our available energies and resources must, at this time, be directed towards the development of youth football," he said.

The SFA and its Irish counterparts had failed in a joint bid for the 2008 European Championships, but larger nations like Italy and Spain are interested in 2012.

Taylor wants instead to focus on developing new talent.

"This is essential if we are to help create a brighter future for the international team and for participation levels in Scotland," he said.

"We know from experience that mounting a bid to host the European Championships can be time consuming and costly, without any guarantee of success.

"The Scottish FA Board have therefore decided not to proceed with any bid but will continue to pursue other opportunities to bring major football events to Scotland, as and when opportunities arise."