By Mark Baber
April 10 – The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) is putting forward Rome’s Stadio Olimpico as Italy’s candidate for Euro 2020. As the European football championship marks its 60th anniversary with a tournament to be hosted in 13 cities of the continent Italy will be bidding for a standard package only.
The announcement that Rome had secured the candidacy in preference to Milan was made by Giovanni Malagò the President of the The Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) and Giancarlo Abete, President of the FIGC.
Referring to the signing of the Treaty of Rome, Abete indicated Rome’s advantages as including “its historical and cultural heritage, its geographical location, its age-old sporting heritage, the charm and the quality of the organizational model of the Olympic Stadium and finally, because 57 years ago right here the foundations were laid for the emergence of a united Europe. Among other things, the Olympic Stadium in 2009 hosted a Champions League final that marked an era in the conception of this event and has all the features required, although some necessary improvements will be made.”
The Stadio Olimpico was originally built as a Mussolini-showpiece and is located in the Foro Italico which, with its numerous monuments to fascism including a large marble obelisk inscribed with the words ‘Mussolini’ and ‘DUX’, still constitutes a controversial reminder of Italy’s past.
However, the stadium itself has been redesigned several times and host to a multitude of international finals including Euro Championships in 1968 and 1980, the European Cup final in 1977 and 1984, the World Cup in 1990, and Champions League finals in 1996 and 2009.
According to the FIGC the choice of Rome will allow Milan to concentrate its efforts on its candidacy for the Champions League final in 2016, with both candidacies receiving the governing bodies full support.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1734882426labto1734882426ofdlr1734882426owedi1734882426sni@r1734882426ebab.1734882426kram1734882426