English football is still deeply scarred by its disastrous bid to stage the 2018 World Cup. So it is hardly a surprise that the Football Association is nervous about entering the race for Euro 2020.

But senior figures, both within the FA and the Government, are already starting to talk informally about whether the country should bid.

At the moment Turkey is the only candidate to formally state its desire to host Uefa's biggest event.

The situation is complicated by the fact that Istanbul now looks the overwhelming favourite to stage the 2020 Olympics in the same summer.

Tokyo is a long shot while the economic crisis in Spain looks to have ruined Madrid's chances.

Alan Shearer celebrate's his second goal for England against Netherlands with team-mate Steve McManaman during Euro 96. Photo: Getty

Should Istanbul win - and leading voices in the International Olympic Committee are already talking up the merits of taking the Games to a city which bridges the Middle East and Europe - then that would force Turkey to forego the European Championship. Faced with such uncertainty, Uefa has now reopened the bidding process.

The exact timetable will be decided at a meeting of the European governing body's executive committee here in Kiev on 29-30 June, just before the Euro 2012 final on 1 July. So far only Georgia and a joint bid from Wales, the Republic of Ireland and Scotland have emerged as potential new candidates.

However, with the final decision not likely to be taken until December 2013 other countries do have some time to enter the contest. The FA chairman David Bernstein has mixed feelings on the possibility of an English bid. On the one hand, staging Euro 2020 would be a more than respectable consolation prize after failing to secure the 2018 World Cup.

All the work done for that campaign could simply be adapted and there are no doubts within the FA and Government that England would stage a brilliant tournament. While England's transport system often leaves a lot to be desired, after all the problems associated with Euro 2012 Uefa will also no doubt see the merits of going back to a country with modern infrastructure.

With France staging Euro 2016, they could also be attracted by back-to-back tournaments in two of their leading commercial markets. The flip side to that for the FA and the authorities is the damage another defeat would do to England's reputation and standing in world football.

Bernstein is still trying to repair the damage done to England's international relations following the 2010 Fifa vote which saw the bid receive just two votes. He doesn't want to do anything which exposes the national game and the country to another embarrassing failure.

So he is now trying to seek assurances from leaders in Uefa, including the president Michel Platini, that if England were to bid they would stand a realistic chance of landing the event.

Last week, before the opening game of Euro 2010, Bernstein travelled to Warsaw for meetings with senior Uefa figures including Spain's executive committee member Angel Maria Villar Llona. Villar Llona is also a member of the Fifa executive and he was critical of Bernstein's decision to call for a postponement of Sepp Blatter's presidential re-election last year.

Bernstein feels that relationship has now been repaired but he will have to build bridges with a number of other leading officials who double up on the Fifa and Uefa executives - men like Senes Erzik of Turkey and Marios Lefkaritis of Cyprus who didn't vote for England.

Ultimately Platini is the key figure in this. When I interviewed him two days before the tournament and asked whether he would welcome a bid from England he was extremely lukewarm, saying only that the vote would now be open to everyone.

He added pointedly that if England want to stage the Euros they have to convince people to vote for them. One might have expected him to encourage as many bidders to come forward, but he was hardly enthusiastic.

The other consideration is whether another major country such as Germany or Spain might be interested. Germany, successful hosts of the 2006 World Cup, has not staged the Euros since West Germany in 1988.

Spain, meanwhile has not held them since 1964 but the financial situation there might dissuade them. The presence of the "Celtic" bid could also be a complicating factor although combining some of the best Scottish, Welsh and Irish cities and stadia might be an option.

The Government's primary consideration at the moment is not to enter the contest until Turkey withdraw. The Foreign Office has prioritised economic and diplomatic relations with Turkey so the FA will have to wait until the situation with Istanbul's bid for the 2020 Olympics becomes clearer before showing its hand.

The vote is not due to take place until the IOC Session in Buenos Aries in September next year. That would be way too late for Uefa which will want expressions of interest by the end of this year at the latest.

So far the issue has not formally been tabled at the FA board but a very early discussion is understood to have taken place. Some members are believed to be enthusiastic, with the view that Turkey's withdrawal could make it a very open race.

But the shadow of the 2018 World Cup looms large. England and the FA will be seeking as many guarantees as possible before making the leap.