UK government may intervene to ensure Euro 2028 stadium actually gets built

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The UK government could reportedly be forced to step in to complete the construction of one of the stadiums selected to host Euro 2028 matches. Casement Park in Northern Ireland will stage games at the tournament but is facing a race to be constructed in time. 

The arena was closed in 2021 and left in a state of dereliction, with redevelopment plans pending for several years. Despite that, it was selected as one of the venues to host the fixtures at Euro 2028 as part of the successful UK and Ireland joint-bid. 

However, the cost of completing the renovation of Casement Park has since risen from around £77.5million to an estimated mammoth price of over £150m. The project has been stalled by a series of legal challenges and the lack of a functioning Executive at Stormont. 

There are fears that the stadium will never be completed, despite apparent confidence within the bid that it will be ready for Euro 2028. It could be the case that the UK government is asked to step in to provide the funding. 

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According to the Daily Star, the fact that Euro 2028 is a UK-wide programme that must be delivered, the UK government could be asked to step in to provide the funding if the Northern Ireland Executive cannot. 

Government officials are reportedly planning to hold talks with their Northern Irish counterparts over the next few weeks. It could then be decided how Casement Park will be finished in time to host Euro 2028 football. 

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said: “I don’t know at this stage if the new stadium will be built in time, I think there are big questions around all of that. We are very clear, the (Stormont) Executive doesn’t have the additional money that is required for this stadium.

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“It is massive, the amount of extra money that is now required, over and above what was set aside by the Executive. Some people are talking now in figures of between £150 million and £200 million to complete the stadium.

“Construction costs are going up all the time and frankly, the Executive does not have the funding sitting around that it can allocate to cover those extra costs.”

Casement Park was selected because Northern Ireland’s habitual home, Windsor Park, does not meet the minimum capacity of 30,000 to host a major international football event. It is one of two venues picked for the tournament that is not yet completed, alongside Everton’s new Bramley Moore Dock stadium. 

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