A joint Scottish-Irish bid to host the 2008 European football championships have already been left hanging in the balance by increasing doubts about the ability of the Irish to deliver.

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) said the Government decision not to use taxpayers' money for the ground was a major blow for Irish soccer.

In its first public response to the decision, the FAI said it was seeking an urgent meeting with Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern to discuss the stadium issue.

Delaney said plans had already been made for the expected money and any withdrawal would be disastrous.

"As far as we are concerned, there were commitments given to us, both in writing and verbally, and we will be expecting those commitments to be honoured," he said.

A spokesman for the Taoiseach said that the Government would be meeting all the major sporting organisations over the next couple of weeks.

The crisis comes as a delegation from European football's governing body, Uefa, is due to visit Dublin on Monday to see the prospective venues and plans for the tournament.

It had been announced on Wednesday by the Irish Government that "in the current circumstances, it is not in a position to provide any Exchequer funding" for the two stadiums it was to contribute to the joint bid for Euro 2008.

Instead, ministers are to seek private sector funding to secure an estimated �315m for the stadium.

David Taylor, Scottish Football Association chief executive, on Friday insisted that he still has faith in the Irish being able to deliver the two stadiums required for the joint bid for Euro 2008.

Stringent rules

Lansdowne Road is set to be used as one Irish venue and a new arena was seen as vital because Ireland's biggest stadium - Croke Park in Dublin - only hosts Gaelic Games such as Gaelic Football and other sports are banned.

The Government is to ask the owners of Croke Park, the Gaelic Athletic Association, for special permission to use the ground on a "once-off" basis for the tournament.

But that would require a change of rules within the GAA, which would have to be voted for at the association's congress.

At the last such gathering, delegates remained firmly in favour of maintaining the ban on "foreign" sports.

The GAA will allow the Uefa delegation to inspect its 80,000-capacity Croke Park in north Dublin while stressing the stringent rules currently banning soccer from the ground.

The Irish Rugby Football Union, which wanted the new stadium as its headquarters, said it was "very disappointed" by the move. The union was "frustrated that yet another opportunity to build a national stadium has been lost".