FAI working through Uefa concerns around Euro 28 bid

Aviva Stadium will be named Dublin City Stadium for Euro 2028 bid: Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images

THE FAI says it is dealing with Uefa ‘concerns’ into the preparation work which needs to be completed in time for next September’s Euro 2028 deadline.

Reports on Wednesday flagged Uefa's frustration with a lack of progress by the Irish and British bid committee on matters including tax paperwork and the sign-off of other protocols.

The FAI told the Irish Examiner that the organisation is working with its UK counterparts to fully respond to Uefa’s requirements as part of the process.

“Following the submission of the Ireland and UK preliminary bid to UEFA in November, we are collectively working through the next phase of the process, including fully responding to UEFA’s follow-up questions,” said an association spokesman.

The report in the UK Times said that Uefa has warned bid officials that there is too long a delay in approving certain guarantees, including including stadium naming rights around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, guarantees over airport access and police escorts to stadiums on match days.

However, sources have also told the Irish Examiner that Europe’s footballing body is seeking greater financial benefits from the home nations' bid, including complimentary benefits such as hotel accommodation for delegates from Nyon.

“Uefa want a better deal, basically more free things across the whole range, including hotels, stadia, commercial rights,” said the source.

Turkey, the UK and Ireland’s only bid rival – after Russia’s late attempt to host the event was thrown out – is said to have satisfied all criteria, and offered better terms, more than nine months ahead of the vote. 

If there is complacency around the Irish and UK bid, it would be down to the fact that the hosting committee knows that, barring a massive shock, it will win the Uefa vote next September.

The Irish Examiner revealed last year that Ireland and UK would be given Uefa’s full backing to host the tournament in 2028 if it withdrew from the bidding process to host FIFA World Cup 2030.

Uefa wants Spain and Portugal to be its representatives at the FIFA vote to host the tournament in eight years, knowing that any bid involving the English FA would not secure a victory amongst the global organisation.

What is at play with Uefa writing to the UK and Ireland committee is part of the normal forensic check-listing that is done as part of a bidding process.

As the organiser and owner of the competition, the European governing body will have been in regular communications with the bidding team to insure everything from security, ticketing, hospitality, fan zones and a host of other protocols are detailed prior to the vote.

One of the issues raised by the report is naming rights of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Spurs close to agreement with Google over a namechange.

Uefa wants to insure that no corporate partners, other than its own, have visibility at any stadium during the competition. Dublin’s Aviva Stadium will change its name for the competition to the Dublin City Stadium.

In the issue around tax, Uefa needs to be satisfied that exemptions are in place insuring that it and players participating in the tournament aren’t liable for tax while in the UK and Ireland.

This issue will be taking longer to resolve than in a single country host, given the various governments and taxations systems at play in the UK and Ireland.

In response to an inquiry about their supposed concerns, Uefa said: 

"UEFA is in contact with all national associations that have submitted a bid to host UEFA EURO 2028 and 2032.

"Matters concerning the UK/Republic of Ireland bid for UEFA EURO 2028 are being addressed with them."

Meanwhile, the prospects of Northern Ireland providing a stadium as part of the hosting bid is receding, given Uefa’s concerns over the Casement Park redevelopment project.

Belfast’s Windsor Park does not meet the minimum criteria of 33,000 seats, leaving any involvement by Northern Ireland reliant on the city’s Casement Park being reconstructed and ready for use.

The GAA stadium was the only venue from the association nominated among the 14 provisional stadia submitted in last month’s preliminary dossier and, while there’s political will in the north for the project to proceed, the notion of temporary stands forming part of the facilities raises a major red flag for Uefa.

There are fears that the much-delayed Casement venue will be among the four stadia removed from the list when the final portfolio of 10 is lodged by the April deadline.

The FAI has proposed Aviva Stadium and Croke Park, with Scotland’s Hampden Park and Wales’s Principality Stadium completed by England’s St James’ Park (Newcastle), Stadium of Light (Sunderland), Old Trafford and Etihad Stadium (Manchester), Everton Stadium (Liverpool), Villa Park (Birmingham), Wembley and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London Stadium (London).

Northern Ireland’s participation in the joint-bid could be restricted to staging the draw for the qualification or the tournament as well as becoming a training ground hub for some of the finalists.

It would also complicate the contentious topic of automatic qualifiers from the bid quintet.

Uefa are likely to allocate free passes to just two of the nations. Sources have confirmed they’ll act as fallback tickets for the countries that don’t reach the 32-nation showpiece.