UEFA have officially confirmed that Dublin will not host Euro 2020 games this summer with the three group games moved to St. Petersburg.
The last-16 tie which was also due to be held in the Aviva Stadium will now take place in London’s Wembley stadium.
UEFA had required an assurance of a minimum of 25 per cent spectator attendance at each game which the Irish Government was unable to meet.
"Preparations for the hosting of the EURO 2020 games in Dublin were at an advanced stage when the pandemic hit and UEFA took the decision on March 17th 2020 to postpone the tournament” said Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin
“Work on the tournament in Dublin continued into 2021 and we were hopeful that we were all set to host a fantastic tournament in Dublin in June”.
"However, despite our commitment to hosting the games the public health situation has meant that we were not able to give UEFA the assurances they required earlier this month in relation to guaranteeing minimum spectator attendance levels at EURO 2020 in Dublin”.
Minister of State for Sport & the Gaeltacht Jack Chambers added: "We are all very disappointed with today’s announcement. However, I understand that this was a difficult decision from UEFA’s point of view.
“I just want to take this opportunity to acknowledge all of the people who have worked so hard over the past few years preparing to host the games in Dublin. Partners including the FAI, Dublin City Council, the Aviva Stadium, relevant Government Departments, An Garda Síochána, the NTA, volunteers and UEFA staff in Dublin all showed great commitment to making Dublin a great host city”.
"However, given the uncertain times in which we are living it was not possible to deliver the games in the manner UEFA would have wished. I am confident that the experience gained by all concerned will put Ireland in a good position to attract such events in the future” added Chambers
“UEFA acknowledge the disappointment within Irish football that we have had to take this decision but we have made a commitment for fans to be part of the UEFA EURO 2020 Tournament” said UEFA General Secretary Theodore Theodoridis.
“We just cannot have a game without any fans and an empty stadium at EURO 2020. We fully understand that it was very difficult for the Dublin LOS to find a way to make this possible within the necessary timeframe”.
"I wish to acknowledge FAI President Gerry McAnaney for his positive and constructive engagement throughout the decision making process this week. We also value how hard CEO Jonathan Hill and the LOS team have worked to try and resolve this issue and we thank everyone within the Dublin LOS and the Irish people for their commitment and support for this project over the last seven years. We look forward to Dublin hosting a UEFA club final in the near future."
FAI President Gerry McAnaney reiterated the FAI’s commitment to hosting future events. He said: "The Board of the FAI remain fully committed to the World Cup 2030 project which will begin with a feasibility study around our bid in conjunction with our counterparts in Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales. In the immediate future, we will also work together with Government and Sport Ireland now to get Irish football back on the pitch at the earliest possible opportunity and we will continue our journey towards reform and real governance change at next month’s EGM.
"Finally, on behalf of the FAI Board and myself, I would like to thank UEFA for their support throughout this process and wish President Aleksander Čeferin, all the EURO 2020 team and the host cities the very best of luck with this summer’s tournament."
After announcing this decision earlier today, UEFA also confirmed to the FAI that UEFA is welcoming a candidature by Dublin to host one of the European club finals after 2023.
