UEFA President Urges Italy to Act on Stadium Crisis

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has criticised the state of stadiums in Italy, claiming the country has the worst infrastructure by far of the major nations in Europe and has called on the government to fix the situation.

The UEFA chief spoke to SportMediaset ahead of the second leg of the Champions League semi-final between Inter and Barcelona at the San Siro on Tuesday evening, which is currently tied 3-3 after a thrilling first leg last Wednesday, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.

Among the topics of discussion for Ceferin in his interview was the Giuseppe Meazza stadium and the failed attempt to host the Champions League final at San Siro.

Given that there are ongoing debates about the future of the San Siro stadium, Ceferin was asked about his views and gave a frustrated response.

"I think the Italian football infrastructure is deplorable," the UEFA president said. "You are one of the biggest football countries, you have won many World Cups, European Championships, Champions Leagues, but at the same time, among the big countries, you have the worst infrastructure by far."

"To be honest, I'm a little tired of these discussions about Italian infrastructure, because all we hear are words. I hope Italy does something. Clubs need help from the government, from local municipalities and even from private investors. It's time to act, because the situation is very bad," he added.

However, Ceferin is confident that Italy will be able to turn the situation around in time for EURO 2032, which is currently expected to be co-hosted by Italy and Turkey.

"I'm not worried yet," Ceferin said when asked if he had any concerns about Italy hosting EURO 2032.

"I think now, even the government has realized that it has to do something. I have a lot of confidence in Gabriele Gravina, who is my first vice president. He will do everything he can to narrow the gap. I am sure that Italy will host the 2032 European Championship."