MILAN (AP) — A soccer chief in Italy says he fears the country could be stripped of the hosting rights to the European Championship in 2032 if an immediate move isn’t made to update stadiums.
Italy and Turkey will stage the tournament in seven years, but while Turkey has arenas and infrastructure almost entirely ready after a massive national construction project in the last two decades, Italy does not have 10 stadiums ready or in planning to host a 24-team, 51-game tournament.
The situation was called “a shame” by UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin in May, adding Italy had “by far the worst infrastructure” of the biggest nations in Europe.
His words set off alarm bells according to Ezio Simonelli, the president of the Italian league’s governing body.
“I’m really worried about Euro 2032,” Simonelli said in an interview with Italian state radio.
“Is the candidacy at risk? I hope it’s just my concern, but when the president of UEFA says that our stadiums are in a comatose state and the Euros are in six years’ time, we risk not making a very good impression on an international level.
“It’s a shame, however, that, beyond Udine, Bergamo and Turin, the rest of our stadiums are in a comatose state. Ceferin has strongly criticized Italian stadiums and I agree with him.”
Italy needs to build and renovate an aging inventory of stadiums yet construction projects in the country, such as replacing the iconic San Siro in Milan and Stadio Olimpico in Rome, can be bureaucratic and slow.
“We are behind all the other countries," Simonelli said. "In the last 18 years we have only inaugurated six stadiums, of which only three are in Serie A. In the rest of Europe, 226.
“I am very worried. We are pressing the government to streamline the procedure and thus silence the famous ‘no committees,’ which in Italy never get anything done, and the authorities that are supposed to protect cultural heritage.”
Udinese, Juventus and Atalanta are the only Serie A clubs to have new or recently renovated stadiums. They, crucially, own their grounds, while many arenas in Italy are council-owned.
The issue with San Siro highlights the problems clubs face. Inter Milan and AC Milan revealed plans to build a new stadium on the site in 2019 but delays and red tape made both clubs look for, and find, land to build new home venues in the city.
However, in another complete turnaround, the clubs look set to buy the San Siro and land from the Milan city council after all. But even as this process moves forward slowly, there is still debate about the fate of the original San Siro.
San Siro was built in 1925 and has the largest capacity in Italy at 80,000. It will host the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics.
“I don’t understand what type of protection there should be for a stadium like San Siro," Simonelli said. "It’s a hundred years old, it was rebuilt in 1955 and there is debate as to whether it was inaugurated before or after November. These are absurd things.
“It’s a stadium that is no longer functional for playing soccer and welcoming people with dignity. You just need to go to the San Siro bathrooms to realize this. A new stadium needs to be rebuilt, full stop, putting an end to all these senseless diatribes.”
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Daniella Matar, The Associated Press
