– I think it’s completely ridiculous. I do not even know what to say, says Chelsea player Guro Reiten. news has just told her about the explanation to FA boss Mark Bullingham after the massive criticism of small European Championship arenas. In an interview with the English press, he says that they struggled to get cities and clubs to line up when the European Championship matches were to be distributed in 2019. – We had to persuade a number of clubs and cities to line up, so we are happy that we ended up where we are now. We think there are good arenas, and if you think that people lined up and wanted to arrange the championship, then that was not the case, Bullingham says. DIFFICULT: FA boss Mark Bullingham reveals that it was demanding to find arenas for the European Championships 2022. Photo: KARIM JAAFAR / AFP – Who does not want to “cough up” a European Championships? I do not understand that. Look at the interest now and all the tickets sold. I guess most people want a party at their stadium, at least that’s how I would have seen it, Reiten thinks. Believes the organizer misses The European Football Championship kicks off on 6 July. The opening match between host nation England and Austria is played at Old Trafford, which seats just over 75,000 spectators, and the final is played at Wembley, which seats 90,000. But some of the group stage matches have been added to far smaller arenas, including Manchester City Academy Stadium, which seats no more than 4,700 spectators during the European Championships. Julie Blakstad plays her home matches in the English Super League, but she thinks the organizer missed when they put championship matches there. – The interest is much higher than they had anticipated in advance. I think it would be silly when you could maybe get 30-40,000 spectators at a match, and then there is room for as few as in our stadium. Then there are very many who do not get a ticket, and there will be less pressure for the players, Blakstad said when news met her in Manchester in May. THE SMALLEST EC ARENA: Manchester City Academy Stadium usually seats around 7000 spectators, but because UEFA does not allow standing places during the EC, there is only capacity to receive 4700. Photo: ED SYKES / Reuters Many of the EC matches are already sold out, and more than 450,000 tickets must have been sold two weeks before the championship kicks off. Thus, the organizer is well placed to double the number of spectators from the previous European Championships, but probably they could have sold even more tickets if the stadium capacity was larger. Blakstad is surprised That Blakstad understands little about the explanation behind the stadium choices is that it was difficult to get clubs and cities to want to host the European Championships. – First of all, it’s a little strange. England is a huge football nation and with enormous interest, so you would think that “hosting” a European Championship is appreciated, that you want to be an organizer for it. I find that surprising and a pity really. STUPS: Julie Blakstad thinks the organizer has missed when they have chosen her home arena in Manchester as the European Championship stadium. Photo: JOHN CLIFTON / Reuters – Do you think they would have chosen other European Championship arenas if they were to be distributed today and not in 2019? – Yes, I think so. That perhaps one had realized that there was more interest in it, so when it is so long ago, it is difficult to predict. There is a bit of an idea behind it, that you should not play for empty stands, but I hope and believe that it would have been a little different today.
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