The UK government will not finance the renovation of Belfast stadium in respect to Euro 2028

The UK government said on Friday that it will not provide financial support for the renovation of Northern Ireland’s Casement Park in preparation for the 2028 European Championship.

The abandoned stadium in west Belfast was designated to accommodate five matches for Euro 2028, sharing the hosting responsibility between the UK and Ireland.

According to a letter addressed to Gordon Lyons, the minister for communities in the British jurisdiction, Hilary Benn, the Northern Ireland minister of the UK, stated that the expenses associated with constructing Casement Park have increased to 400 million pounds ($524.8 million). Furthermore, the UK government has decided not to provide funding for the redevelopment due to concerns about the potential delay in its completion.

“There has been a substantial increase in the projected construction expenses, rising from £180m when the EURO 2028 bid was granted in October 2023 to potentially over £400m. This raises a considerable risk that the project may not be completed in time for the tournament,” stated Benn.

“Unfortunately, we have concluded that it is not suitable for the UK government to allocate capital for the construction of Casement Park in order to host matches at Euro 2028.”

“Making this decision has been quite challenging, considering our strong commitment to the Euro 2028 partnership, but it is the sole viable means of progress under the current circumstances.”

The decision not to continue in time to host UEFA Euro 2028 was deemed “deeply disappointing and a missed opportunity not only for local sport, but also for our economy” by Michelle O’Neill, the Irish nationalist head of Northern Ireland’s regional executive.

($1 = 0.7622 pounds pounds)