Pressure to qualify multiplies after draw for Euro 2020 is made
FOR the FAI delegation in Bucharest on Saturday evening, the draw for Euro 2020 briefly represented a form of escapism. They were able to contemplate hypothetical scenarios involving football. Over the past year, best-case and worst-case discussions have centred around issues threatening to derail the organisation.
President Donal Conway wasn’t keen to speak about the ongoing crises when he paused to offer his thoughts after the Bucharest gig.
He expressed the wish that the FAI will just have Euro 2020 on their mind when the summer comes around, rather than the permanent shadow that lingers.
“There’s key milestones that should be well navigated by then,” he said. “We should have reform significantly embedded. We should have four independent directors on our board. We will have all our reports out and our committees populated.
“So, yes, it won’t be the focus on the FAI and our governance. I really think it’s an opportunity to promote the game in Dublin and across the country.”
We live in hope, if not expectation. FAI deadlines have become flexible. There is now an anticipation that the 2019 AGM will reconvene on Saturday, December 28, a date that has been pushed back due to the delayed completion of accounts for 2018.
The filing of the KOSI report to An Garda Síochána has raised doubts about other targets.
While there was a natural energy around Saturday’s draw as qualified teams digested certainties, the Irish delegation operated in a strange limbo.
They have games to prepare for in Dublin either way, and Conway was accompanied by members of the Euro 2020 organising team.
The draw panned out pretty well for them. Bonuses are available for hosts that tick the boxes under
a variety of headings, and full stadiums are a starting point.
Poland’s large population in Ireland and the Swedish propensity to travel should ensure proper occasions, if Ireland miss out. The competition will definitely bring something to the local economy, although the midweek afternoon kick-off times will pose a few problems for Dublin commuters.
Conway referenced partners in government and Dublin City Council and said a spend of around €8 million will pay off in spades.
“I know the Ernst and Young impact study says there’s nearly €30m going to the Irish coffers in taxation,” said Conway.
Impact
“If they invest €8m they are getting around €30m in tax back and the region gets well in excess of €100m of an economic impact. That’s a pretty extraordinary multiplier when you look at it. In fairness, it’s money well expended.”
Football is going to generate revenue for the city, yet it would be deeply ironic if the FAI missed
out on the benefits. They will only profit heavily if Mick McCarthy’s men advance.
UEFA are contributing substantially to host cities to help them with their obligations.
From January, there will be around 70 staff working out of Wanderers Rugby Club next to the Aviva Stadium in order to ensure that the plans for the four Dublin games are running smoothly. The spreading of the competition around Europe is a flawed experiment, but it remains a bigtime event.
“There’s a huge amount of work to do,” said Conway. “It will require a huge amount of volunteers and will employ a number of people in Dublin on a part-time basis.”
It would give them all a spring in the step if there was home
UEFA are contributing substantially to host cities to help them with their obligations
involvement. Should Bosnia or Slovakia end up as play-off champions, the group games will not exactly scream glamour. Northern Ireland’s progression would bring a buzz that would remind the natives exactly what they are missing. And you can be sure the Northern Ireland fans would be quick to remind them.
The FAI’s decision to go for Euro 2020 was no doubt tied in with John Delaney’s legacy mission. More energy should have been put into improving the week-toweek experience for match-going fans here rather than a one-off showpiece.
But now that the fixtures are drawn and an appealing group lies in wait, the pressure on March has multiplied. Nobody can pretend otherwise.