Euro 2032, Malagò: "The Franchi in Florence is ahead, it's a fact"

The Artemio Franchi stadium construction site is moving faster than those of other facilities bidding to host Euro 2032. This is what FIGC president Giovanni Malagò said in Florence for the assembly of Lega Pro clubs, as reported by La Nazione.

"Florence ahead, it's a fact"

"Florence ahead? There's no doubt, it's a fact," Malagò declared. Italy's top football official stressed that "the construction site is moving forward, the work is continuing" and that, setting aside some timing aspects on which it's not his place to comment, this is a "very positive" element. Malagò did not want to commit on the final list of facilities that Italy will present for the tournament, a matter for the technical offices, but added: "It seems to me, however, that all the conditions are in place" for the Tuscan capital.

The timing issue: Italy behind Turkey

Euro 2032 will be jointly awarded to Italy and Turkey, but according to Malagò the pace of progress in the two countries is very different. "Uefa is watching us very carefully," he explained, speaking of a "vote of confidence" toward the Italian football system despite the difficulties. The critical point concerns precisely the construction sites: today, Malagò admitted, only one stadium in Italy would be ready to host the event, while Turkey can already count on more than five suitable facilities. A gap that, according to what the federation president said, makes the progress of work at the Franchi even more significant compared to other Italian bids, some of which, reportedly, have not yet started construction.