UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has warned that Italy risks not being able to co-host the Euro 2032 tournament with Türkiye due to the poor condition of the country's football stadiums, which he called "some of the worst in Europe". In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Ceferin stated, "Euro 2032 is scheduled and will take place, of that there is no doubt. I just hope that the infrastructure [in Italy] will be ready. If that's not the case, the tournament will not be held in Italy."
Ceferin added that Italian politicians should perhaps ask themselves why the football infrastructure is among the worst in Europe, highlighting that the biggest problem in Italian football is "the relationship between the football authorities and politics". In October, Italy must name the five stadiums that will host matches at Euro 2032, with 11 cities currently in contention: Rome, Florence, Bologna, Milan, Genoa, Bari, Naples, Turin, Cagliari, and Palermo.
Italy can present new stadiums or ones requiring redevelopment as long as work begins by March 2027. Currently, only one stadium, Juventus's Allianz Stadium in Turin, is completely ready to host matches at the summer international tournament. Inter Milan and AC Milan recently purchased the San Siro from the city of Milan and aim to complete a new 71,500-capacity arena on the same site by 2031, but the land sale is under investigation by Milan's public prosecutors' office for alleged bid rigging.
Roma received approval from local authorities in Rome to build a new stadium in the east of the city, while Fiorentina's Artemio Franchi Stadium is undergoing redevelopment. Last month, the city of Naples presented a renovation project for the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, home to Serie A champions Napoli. The project, with a budget of 200 million euros and including the removal of the running track, was presented by Mayor Gaetano Manfredi as something that needs doing "regardless of 2032".
This warning comes just two days after Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive edition, becoming the first former winners to hold this unwanted record. Gennaro Gattuso's side were beaten 4-1 on penalties by Bosnia and Herzegovina in their UEFA playoff final for a spot at the 2026 tournament, underscoring broader challenges in Italian football beyond infrastructure issues.
Source: www.aljazeera.com