Croker in the dark on UEFA inspection

By Colm O’Connor

GAA CHIEFS say they’re in the dark about a proposed visit next week to Croke Park by a UEFA delegation that will be assessing Ireland’s ability host the 2008 European football championships.

Government sources indicated last night a UEFA inspection team is due at GAA headquarters next Monday, but association director general Liam

Mulvihill insisted last night nobody has been in touch with the GAA.

Denying that the GAA has granted approval for any form of stadium inspection, he added: "We have not been asked, so we don't know anything."

Stadium director Peter McKenna also said he had received no official communication from the parties involved about even the possibility of an impending visit.

"We have had no contact whatsoever from either UEFA or from any members of the Euro 2008 bid team."

The UEFA team is due to visit Government Buildings, the proposed site for the national stadium at Abbotstown, and, according to sources, Croke Park around lunchtime next Monday.

However, senior Government figures have made no contact with the GAA on the matter, Mr Mulvihill said.

Euro 2008 campaign director Simon Lyons was non-committal last night on the itinerary for the team of inspectors.

"We will be in Dublin on Monday September 16 getting a full understanding of the bid and all three stadiums in the bid document," he said yesterday.

"The core issue will be the infrastructure, the people putting it together, the understanding of how the bid works."

But as Scotland and Ireland have guaranteed they can provide 1.7 million seats for the tournament 500,000 more than their rivals it seems certain the official party will be visiting at least one of the sites.

The delegation will include officials from UEFA, the key organiser of the bid David Taylor, the bid director John Henderson, along with Mr Lyons. The latter stressed there is no rush on the decision regarding stadia as the deadline for actually completing the planned grounds for the tournament does not expire until 2007.

The visit to Dublin kicks off a busy week for the bid team as they visit five cities in five days between Ireland and Scotland.

Meanwhile, Mr Lyons said he had no concerns over reports the Government are coming under increasing pressure to ditch the Stadium Ireland project due to the downturn in the economy.

"The Government committed that they will have two stadiums and we are content with that," Mr Lyons said.