SOCCER: UEFA chief Ceferin threatens to remove Italy as Euro 2032 co-host over infrastructure

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has warned that Italy risks losing its role as co-host of the 2032 European Championship unless the country upgrades its football infrastructure.

In an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport on Thursday, Ceferin reiterated his criticism of Italy’s lack of modern stadiums. He also expressed support for Gabriele Gravina, who recently resigned as president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC).

Italy, which failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive time on Tuesday, is scheduled to co-host Euro 2032 with Turkey.

"Euro 2032 is scheduled and will take place. I hope the infrastructure will be ready," Ceferin said. "Otherwise, the tournament will not be played in Italy."

Italy must submit a list of five stadiums to UEFA by October to host Euro 2032 matches. However, major clubs—including AC Milan, Inter Milan, Lazio, and AS Roma—have struggled to renovate or rebuild stadiums due to issues with public authorities, who often own the venues.

Consultancy firm PwC reported that only six Italian stadiums were built or redeveloped between 2007 and 2024, compared with 19 in Germany, 13 in England, and 12 in France.

Despite these shortcomings, Ceferin placed the blame on Italian politicians rather than Gravina. "Perhaps it is Italian politicians who should be asking themselves why Italy has some of the worst football infrastructure in Europe," he said.

Gravina, also UEFA’s first vice-president, resigned during an extraordinary FIGC meeting on Thursday following domestic backlash over the national team’s failure. Italy lost a penalty shootout to Bosnia in their playoff match, drawing criticism from media and political figures.

Ceferin defended Gravina, saying: "It is absolutely not Gabriele's responsibility, and I would never allow myself to attack either the players or the coach." He also criticised critics who focus on failures for personal gain: "They don't support Italy, they support themselves. This is football, and even with the best players on the pitch, anyone can lose a match."

-Reporting by Trevor Stynes; Editing by Toby Davis/Reuters