Reports indicate that Russia has made a surprise bid to host EURO 2032 following concerns about Italy’s readiness to host the tournament.
The 2032 UEFA European Championship is scheduled to take place in Italy and Turkey. However, doubts have emerged regarding Italy’s stadiums. The Daily Mail reports fears that the old infrastructure may prevent the venues from being ready on time.
In response to these concerns, Russia has positioned itself as a potential host country. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Alexander Dyukov, president of the Moscow Football Federation, told Russian outlet Sport.ru:
“Italy has a problem with stadiums. If they lose the organization of the stadiums, we are here. Russia is ready to organize Euro 2032 instead of Italy.”
It has been suggested that only one of the ten proposed stadiums in Italy has received UEFA approval so far.
However, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, UEFA and FIFA suspended all Russian national teams and clubs from international competitions. Russia filed six appeals against these bans, all of which were rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Concerns over Italy’s readiness were also expressed by Ezio Simonelli, president of the Italian league:
“I am very worried about Euro 2032. Could Italy’s candidacy be at risk? I hope it’s only my concern, but when the UEFA president says our stadiums are in a coma and EURO is six years away, we risk not making a good international impression. It’s a shame that apart from Udine, Bergamo, and Turin, the rest of our stadiums are in poor condition. I strongly agree with Ceferin’s criticism of our stadiums.”
Last month, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin commented on the ongoing suspension of Russian teams:
“The ban on Russian teams, in my opinion, has lasted three and a half years. Has the war ended? No. So for now, I don’t know. There has been a lot of political pressure, more from civil society now than from politicians. Personally, I am against excluding athletes.”
