Euro 2012 Visit: Day 2

The proposals for the tournament to be held in Italy were laid out in a meeting at the Italian Olympic Committee today.

The event was attended by Azzurri coach Roberto Donadoni and assistant coach to the Under-21’s team Gianfranco Zola, who is also an ambassador for UNICEF. They were joined by all of the national authorities that support the bid including the Sports Minister Giovanna Melandri, CONI President Giovanni Petrucci and Lega Calcio President Antonio Matarrese.

In his speech, CONI President Petrucci underlined the great organising tradition of Italian sports. "Everybody recognises the high level of organisation in our sports. We just experienced the exhilarating Winter Olympic Games in Turin. And then the World Cup victory in Germany has shown what football means in Italy. We are here in front of you today with the support of the Italian Government and of the whole nation. We want Italy to have all of the necessary requirements to host the 2012 European Championship. This will show the high level of organisational ability of Italian sports and the whole Italian sports world will back the candidature. Good luck, Italy!"

Italian Sports Minister Melandri confirmed the full and unconditional support for the bid on behalf of the government. "This candidature is both in the heart and aspirations of the government's actions. It is the candidature of the nation as a whole. It is a strategic opportunity to rethink the system of the facilities for hosting sports attractions: stadia as meeting places just like piazzas. The government stands ready to do its part; we are ready to face the complex organisational aims to reach the goals through legislative measures. Let's meet on 8 December, on the day of the appointment of the European Championship, with the hope of having the advantage of an organisation that is important to the government and for which it is willing to actively commit itself."

Deputy Commissioner Vito Gamberale spoke on behalf of the Italian Football Federation guaranteeing the commitment, both concrete and moral, in the bid to host Euro 2012. "To be here at CONI, underlines the authority and commitment of Italian sports towards reaching this goal. The presence of Minister Melandri witnesses the fact that the Euro 2012 organising project is the nation's project. All of us hope that this visit will satisfy and reassure the UEFA Committee; stadia and infrastructure will be able to host the 2012 European Championship within the planned schedule. Just as it has been pointed out in the statement that accompanies the project, the stadia are the natural evolution of the piazza as a meeting place; and along these lines we would like to guarantee sports ethics, regulations, transparency and sportsmanship.”

The visit in Rome ended with inspections of the Stadio Olympico, the hotel facilities in the area, the Auditorium Parco della Musica (which is the proposed site for the group draws), the Acqua Acetosa Doping Control Centre and the Stadio Flaminio.

In the afternoon the delegation arrived in Naples where Mayor Rosa Russa Iervolino and Sports Councillor Alfredo Ponticelli welcomed them at the Palazzo San Giacomo (City Hall). At the City Hall a meeting was held between the Mayor and Horst Schmidt (Advisor to the National Teams Committee) and Francesco Ghirelli (Italy’s Euro 2012 Project Manager).

Mayor Iervolino explained why Naples was one of the main cities at the heart of the bid. "I'm told that football without Naples is not football. This is why we are ready to organise and host Euro 2012. As mayor of Naples I look at the European Championship not only as a great sporting event, but also as a rendezvous with a strong social and educational value."


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