Irish ministers make case for Cork to host Euros game after Belfast venue axed

The Irish government is pressing the case for Cork to host a Euro 2028 game originally earmarked for Belfast.

Deputy premier and Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin said Gaelic games venue Pairc Ui Chaoimh in Cork was being “seriously looked at” as a potential alternative venue.

Mr Martin’s party colleague, minister of state Thomas Byrne, has contacted the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) to ask that both Pairc Ui Chaoimh and the Gaelic Athletic Association’s flagship stadium at Croke Park in Dublin are put “into the mix” when it comes to reallocating the ill-fated Belfast games.

The move comes after the UK government announced on Friday that it would not be providing funding to rebuild Casement Park in Belfast in time for the Euros.

The derelict west Belfast GAA ground had been due to stage five games in Uefa’s showpiece tournament, which is being jointly hosted by the UK and Ireland in 2028.

The Aviva stadium in Dublin, the home of Ireland’s international football team, is already set to host six games in the tournament.

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) has indicated a desire to host some of the games that Belfast is set to miss out on.

There is an anticipation the Northern Ireland matches will be shared out among the other hosting nations.

Stormont’s Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has said while it is unlikely that Northern Ireland will now host any matches he said he would ask if Uefa might be prepared to make an exception in regard to its criteria to enable the 18,500-seater football stadium at Windsor Park in Belfast to stage one fixture.

Mr Martin confirmed the GAA was still interested in the potential of hosting games elsewhere on the island despite Casement Park now being ruled out as a venue.

The Tanaiste, a TD for Cork South Central, highlighted the prospect for Pairc Ui Chaoimh to play host to games.

Thousands of extra seats would need to be added to the Cork venue to bring it up to Uefa requirements

“We have raised with the powers-that-be the prospect perhaps of another fixture in the Euros, perhaps Pairc Ui Chaoimh could be,” he told reporters at Fianna Fail’s think-in event in Killiney, Co Dublin,

“This is being seriously looked at because we were guaranteed that number (of games) on the island and I think people across the country would like opportunities to watch the Euros.

“It has been raised with the FAI, I know Thomas Byrne has done that already and it’s available.

“It could be very challenging but nonetheless we need to push the boat out in terms of improving our stadia and hosting more and more of these competitions or elements of these competitions.”

He added: “I have had discussions with the Gaelic Athletic Association who are also interested in the Pairc Ui Chaoimh idea and have put that forward.”

Mr Martin made clear that he felt the redevelopment of Casement still had to take place, albeit not now in time to host the Euros.

The Irish government has already committed 50 million euros to the project and the Tanaiste said he expected the UK government would “respond positively” to making a funding allocation to the GAA to help with the redevelopment costs.

Mr Byrne said he had spoken to FAI interim chief executive David Courell about using GAA venues if further games were allocated to Ireland.

“We want to keep as many games on the island as possible,” he said.

“Croke Park has always been in the mix, Uefa decided not to have it.

“Pairc Ui Chaoimh would need work, as would Croke Park, to host the games up to Uefa standard so we certainly put them into the mix.

“I am conscious that there are other football associations, apart from the FAI, involved in this.

“There’s a lot of work done already by Uefa but I think it’s important that we really fight tooth and nail to keep as many games as possible on the island and to encourage the FAI in that, because at the end of the day this is a competition run by the football associations, not directly by the governments, but that is certainly the message that I have sent to the FAI that we want as many games kept on the island of Ireland as possible

“I acknowledge there are issues with seating both in Croke Park and Pairc Ui Chaoimh but they are not unsurmountable issues.”