“It’s a real shame.” Amaia Arregi, the mayor of Bilbao, did not have enough harsh words to qualify the decision ” unilateral “UEFA, formalized Friday April 23, to withdraw to the city of the Spanish Basque Country, as in Dublin, its status as host of the Euro football. “The obsession with attracting the public at all costs, without taking into account the evolution of the pandemic, is not serious”, she criticized.
“This is disappointing news (…) for the many people who have worked tirelessly on this project for seven years ”, commented the Irish Football Association (FAI). Who adds: “Since the start of the year, the pandemic has worsened rather than improved, and the government could not find a way to receive the 25% (of the total capacity of the stadium) what UEFA wanted. “
In Bilbao and Dublin, UEFA’s decision to deny them the reception of matches of Euro 2021, which will be held from June 11 to July 11, for lack of guarantees on the reception of spectators, has caused disappointment. However, it did not resonate the same in the two cities.
Fatalism and pragmatism
With a certain fatalism and a good dose of pragmatism, Leo Varadkar, the Irish Deputy Prime Minister, had announced, from Wednesday April 21, before the officialization of the decision: “We just think June is too early (to welcome the public). Yes (UEFA) keep insisting (so that we receive 25% of the public), I think it will be difficult to do that, to be honest, which is unfortunate. ”
Like the UK, Ireland experienced a strong third wave of Covid-19 earlier this year. This fell, but, unlike its British neighbor, Dublin has not experienced a rapid vaccination campaign. Currently, only 900,000 people (18% of the population) have been vaccinated.
The government is being cautious in lifting the restrictions. During May, a first return of the public must take place in a limited way during a rugby match, where 2,000 spectators who have passed an antigen test are expected. But the authorities are not ready to go further. Dublin’s three group matches will take place in St Petersburg, with the city’s round of 16 taking place at Wembley, London.
The decision is hardly controversial. Maybe because the national team is not qualified for the competition. Perhaps also because football is not the national sport. The Aviva Stadium, which was to host the competition, is mainly known for rugby matches.
You have 49.03% of this article to read. The rest is for subscribers only.
