The chances of Northern Ireland hosting matches at the Euro 2028 football tournament appear to have gone.
The UK government announced on Friday night that the estimated cost of rebuilding Casement Park stadium in Belfast has “risen dramatically” to more than £400m.
The government said it will not be providing funding to redevelop the stadium in time for the tournament.
It said there was a “significant risk” that the stadium would not be built in time.
In a statement, the Ulster GAA called the announcement “bitterly disappointing,” adding that it would provide a more detailed response in the coming days.
In the letter, Benn and Nandy said: “The estimated build costs have risen dramatically – from £180m when the EURO 2028 bid was awarded in October 2023 to potentially over £400m – and there is a significant risk that it would not be built in time for the tournament.
“We have therefore, regrettably, decided that it is not appropriate for the UK government to provide funding to seek to build Casement Park in time to host matches at EURO 2028.”
The initial estimated cost of rebuilding Casement was £77.5m, with £62.5m coming from the Stormont executive and £15m from the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA).
That was more than a decade ago, and since then costs have risen dramatically.
To try to cater for soccer as well as GAA matches increased the cost further, as UEFA requires a higher specification of stadium.
Although hopes of being part of the Euro 2028 tournament may be over, it does not mean the stadium cannot be rebuilt for the GAA, which was the original purpose.
However, that will not be cheap either, and the GAA will be hoping that even though the UK government has said it will not be funding a Euro 2028 compliant stadium, it may still contribute to the redevelopment whenever it happens.
The Irish government has already pledged more than £40m.
I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism, I am not a member of any political party. Oddly for a member of the Slugger team, I am not that interested in daily politics, preferring to write about big ideas in society. When not stuck in front of a screen, I am a parkrun Run Director.
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