‘Italy’s football infrastructure is terrible’

Agency:

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has criticised the state of stadiums in Italy, claiming that the country has ‘by far the worst infrastructure’ of the biggest nations in Europe, and has called upon the government to fix the ‘very bad’ situation.

The UEFA chief spoke to SportMediaset ahead of the second leg of the Champions League semi-final between Inter and Barcelona in San Siro on Tuesday night, which is currently level at 3-3 after a thriller in the first leg last Wednesday.

Among the topics of discussion for Ceferin in his interview was the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza and the failed bid to host the Champions League final in San Siro.

Given that there are ongoing debates surrounding the future of the stadium in San Siro, Ceferin was asked for his views, and gave a frustrated answer in response.

“I think Italian football infrastructure is a shame,” the UEFA President said.

“You are one of the biggest footballing countries, you have won many World Cups, European Championships, Champions Leagues, but at the same time, among the big countries, you have by far the worst infrastructure.

“I’m a bit tired of these discussions about Italian infrastructure to be honest, because all we ever hear is words. I hope that Italy will do something. Clubs need help from the government, from local municipalities, and even from private investors. It’s time to act, because the situation is very bad.”

Still, Ceferin is confident that Italy will be able to amend the situation in time for EURO 2032, which is currently expected to be co-hosted by Italy and Türkiye.

“I’m not worried yet,” Ceferin said when asked if he has any concerns about Italy hosting the EUROS in 2032.

“I think that now, the government has also understood that it has to do something. I have a lot of confidence in Gabriele Gravina, who is my first vice-President. He will do everything he can to close the gap. I’m sure that Italy will host the 2032 European Championship.”