Ceferin warns Italy about Euro 2032
Italy and Türkiye will jointly organize the Euro 2032 and the president of UEFA, Alexander Ceferinin an extensive interview in ‘La Gazzetta dello Sport’analyzed the risks that the transalpine country may have regarding the future event, due to several aspects, such as the possibility that the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), Giovanni Malagocould lose his position despite being elected by a large majority last June, and that the FIGC could be placed under special administration, or the difficulties in renovating the stadiums that have to host the tournament.
“We do not intend to prejudge the decisions of the institutions, but the independence of the federations and respect for the will of their members are fundamental principles of the UEFA and FIFA Statutes, and we hope that they will be respected,” he responded. Ceferin given the possibility that the FIGC would be placed under special administration, due to investigations that call into question the legitimacy of Malagò’s election due to alleged breaches of the statutes.
In this sense, the highest leader of the UEFA She added: “No decision has been made yet. I’m just saying that as a co-host, Italy has a special responsibility. Precisely for this reason it is important to preserve the independence of sports institutions. “Any kind of political interference could undermine trust in UEFA and other partners, which would benefit neither Italian football nor the tournament.”
Another issue that also worries Ceferinand which he has already spoken about in the past, is that of the stadiums in Italy that have to host the Euro Cup. “The stadiums do not live up to the prestige of their history,” said the Slovenian leader in the past, who once again recalled the need for the transalpine country to renovate its stadiums ahead of the event. 2032: “The argument is still valid, because the football infrastructure is far from the prestige that this sport has.”
Despite this, he was optimistic, although he sent a warning: “Progress has been made. In August, 13 cities showed interest in hosting matches, and the significant investments announced are an encouraging sign that the seriousness of the situation has been understood even at an institutional level. However, time is of the essence for everyone. The goodwill demonstrated must be translated into concrete measures as soon as possible.” And he gave as an example the case of three teams: “The Juventus, Atalanta and Udinese They show that when a club takes charge of a stadium and assumes its management, the results are obtained relatively quickly. That’s why I think the Euro 2032 “It is the ideal opportunity to improve this model.”
