Government backs bid to co-host Euro 2028
-
Loading... - Leticia Campana
- 23 Mar 2022
- 384 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
A Government spokesman has confirmed that the Government has issued a letter of support for Ireland's bid to co-host Euro 2028.
The application is a joint bid with Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland.
It is understood there was no discussion regarding the cost of jointly hosting the event at the Cabinet meeting this morning.
Tomorrow is the deadline for national football associations to confirm their interest in bidding to host the event, the world's second biggest international football tournament.
Around 150,000 football fans could travel to Ireland for the tournament.
The Government will likely provide funding for venues, transport, security and fan zones.
It looks likely that the joint Ireland and UK bid may be the sole expression of interest to host Euro 2028, as UEFA has ended the Russian bid, while Turkey ended its bid to host the tournament.
Minister of State for Sport Jack Chambers has said there would be "massive economic benefits" if Ireland's joint bid to host Euro 2028 is successful, as well as "huge regional benefits" across the island.
Speaking to RTÉ's Drivetime, Mr Chambers said analysis by Deloitte has suggested there could be €300m to €600m of direct spend, with a net value of between €180m and €290m.
He said there has been significant investment in the Aviva and Croke Park in recent years, meaning there would be "limited costs there" compared to other countries that might not be able to frontload that investment.
The predominant costs would be around security and policing, he said, adding that while there might be additional specifications to stadia and there is no tournament or staging fee.
He said initial figures suggest the security cost could be between €26m and €35m.
He also said there is a contingency around inflation in all of the figures.
Mr Chambers said the GAA has had engagement with the FAI and has had "positive early discussions". Read More...
