Post: 9 of Italy’s 10 stadiums have not been certified, Russia is willing to take over and host the 2032 European Cup

According to the "Post" on October 27, despite the global ban, Russia still applied to replace Italy in hosting the 2032 European Cup. The outside world is worried about the construction progress of the Italian stadium.

The media pointed out that Russia has launched a bold proposal to try to replace Italy as the host country of the 2032 European Cup. The event, which was originally scheduled to be jointly hosted by Italy and Türkiye in seven years, has now caused concerns about the preparation progress due to aging infrastructure in Italian stadiums.

Russia, which has been completely banned by UEFA and FIFA since the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, declared that if Italy is indeed unable to solve the stadium problem, they are ready to take over. Alexander Dyukov, chairman of the Moscow Football Association, boldly stated in an interview: "Italy has a stadium problem. If they lose the qualification to host, we are on standby. Russia is ready to replace Italy in hosting the 2032 European Cup."

The report further pointed out that only one of the ten venues declared by Italy has been certified by UEFA, and also hinted that Turkey may obtain independent hosting rights.

Russia, which continued to play friendly matches with non-Western countries during its ban, had applied to host the 2028 and 2032 European Cups at the same time, but was disqualified due to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Although Dyukov's remarks are unlikely to be taken seriously by UEFA, the hidden dangers in Italian stadiums are indeed real problems that need to be solved urgently.

UEFA President Alexander Ceferin once said sadly that Italy has "the most backward infrastructure among major European countries." In an interview with Italian national radio in August, Ezio Simonelli, the president of the country's league governing body, also admitted his deep concern about losing the right to host the game.

"I am deeply concerned about Euro 2032," Simonelli said. "Is our qualification to host the tournament in jeopardy? I hope this is just me. But when the president of UEFA bluntly said that our stadiums are in a coma and there are only six years left to prepare for the European Cup, we do face the risk of damage to our international image. "

"It is very disturbing. Unfortunately, with the exception of Udine, Bergamo and Turin, the remaining stadiums are in a state of stagnation. I completely agree with Ceferin's sharp criticism of Italian stadiums "

Italy has a number of iconic and old stadiums in urgent need of renovation, including Milan's San Siro and Rome's Stadio Olimpico, but the renovation process is often hampered by bureaucratic procedures.

Simonelli added: "We are falling behind across the board. Only 6 new stadiums have been built in the country in the past 18 years, of which only 3 serve Serie A. During the same period, 226 new stadiums were built in other parts of Europe."

"I am extremely worried about this. I am urging the government to simplify the approval process to eliminate the resistance of the 'anti-committees' that will never succeed in Italy, and to coordinate the position of the cultural heritage protection department."