22 October 2023 , 06:00
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Northern Ireland’s stadium for Euro 2028 looks as incongruous beside them as New York, Paris, Peckham on the side of Del Boy’s three-wheeler in ‘Only Fools and Horses’.
It seems even more out of place, looking at Casement Park today and the only thing thriving there are the weeds and it has been disused since 2013. The decision to include Casement Park in the UK and Ireland’s successful Euro 2028 bid has opened up an almighty row in the Province, which has been 17 years in the making.
It dates back to 2006 when the Northern Ireland Executive proposed building a 42,000-seater stadium on the site on the infamous Maze prison, which would have been the new home for football, rugby and Gaelic sports in the Province. Those plans were scrapped in 2009 and football and rugby used government money to redevelop their existing homes at Windsor Park and Ravenhill.
Casement Park, the home of Antrim’s Gaelic sports and named after a revolutionary in Ireland’s 1916 Rising, ran into trouble when local residents began a long legal battle to stop the redevelopment. The drawn-out battle between planners and residents continued until the final legal challenges were defeated in 2022.
The stadium in Catholic West Belfast, which has never hosted a football match, was chosen as the redeveloped 34,500 ground will meet UEFA’s requirements for all venues to hold at least 30,000 spectators. Windsor Park, which was redeveloped at a cost of £31million, only has a capacity of 18,500.
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Northern Ireland fans, who traditionally come from the Protestant community, do not want to travel across the city to West Belfast. They voiced their opposition at Northern Ireland’s home matches against San Marino and Slovenia, chanting “you can shove Casement Park” where the sun doesn’t shine.
The location of the stadium in a Catholic area of Belfast has caused controversy (PA)Unionist politicians are unhappy and Gary McAllister, chairman of the Amalgamation of Official Northern Ireland Supporters Clubs, said: “We’re asking what the legacy for local football will be, how does football in Northern Ireland benefit?”
Stuck in the middle is Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill, who must toe the Irish FA line in supporting Casement Park, while not angering his own fans. “I would like to see it supported,” he said. “I think it’s important we get the opportunity to play and be a host nation, but equally everyone is entitled to their opinion.”
The projected cost of redevelopment has already surpassed £110million (Twitter@https://twitter.com/bIurt99/status/1646176174731567106)Then there’s the growing cost, which was estimated to be £77million and is now £110million and rising. The Irish Government has said they will chip in, but owners, the Gaelic Athletic Association, say they won’t increase their £15million contribution, promised back in 2006, meaning it will be left to the British taxpayers to foot the bill for the ground, which will host five Euro 2028 games.
The plan is for the GAA to use the stadium before and after Euro 2024, meaning they will receive a state-of-the-art ground for only £15million, with no legacy for football in Northern Ireland. This mess sums up Northern Ireland, where the Executive has not sat at Stormont since February 2022.
Casement Park has been crumbling for the past 10 years (Twitter / @MirrorSportIE)As messy as it is, Justin McNulty of the Nationalist SDLP claims everyone should focus on making Casement Park a reality. “The political will is there and we need to get everyone around a table to hammer out the details so that work can commence at Casement without delay,” he said.
Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill said: “This is a unique opportunity to unite communities and bring people together from across the political divide and from across these two islands using the power of sport.”
What it is hoped Casement Park will look like for Euro 2028 (Twitter / @MirrorSportIE)The final word goes to Patrick Nelson, Irish FA chief executive, who claimed Northern Ireland’s most-famous footballing son would approve of the plans. Nelson said: “I think George Best will be looking down and probably smiling at all of us.”