Despite being banned from participating in international competitions by FIFA and UEFA, Russian Football Federation President Alexander Dukov has boldly stated that Russia is willing to host Euro 2032 if Italy does not meet its obligations. The ban was imposed on Russia in response to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. However, Dukov was not deterred from insisting Russia was ready to rejoin European football, despite questions remaining over Italy’s ability to host the tournament.
As it stands, Italy will co-host the Euros with Türkiye in seven years’ time. The venue for the tournament remains uncertain, with renovations and investment in new stadiums underway, including the refurbishment of the iconic San Siro stadium. When asked if Russia was prepared to intervene if Italy was unable to host the event, Dukov was clear.
“Russia is always ready,” he declared on Sport24 after the Russia-Bolivia match.
However, Russian news agency Izvestia has revealed that no new bids have been submitted in the competition. They report that the Russian Football Federation has submitted an application for 2022.
Earlier this year, Italian league governing body president Ezio Simonelli expressed concern after UEFA president Alexander Ceferin criticized Italy’s infrastructure.
Coach Simonelli confessed on Italian national radio, “I’m really worried about Euro 2032.”
“Is the candidacy in jeopardy? I hope that’s my concern, but when the UEFA president says our stadiums are in a coma and the Euros are six years away, we risk not making a very good impression at international level.
“But it’s a shame that the rest of the stadiums apart from Udine, Bergamo and Turin are in a coma. Ceferin has strongly criticized Italian stadiums and I agree with him.”
Simonelli added: “We are behind compared to other countries. In the last 18 years we have opened only six stadiums, only three of which are in Serie A. In the rest of Europe there are 226.”
“I am very worried. We are calling on the government to streamline the process and silence the famous ‘no commission’ in Italy where nothing progresses and the authorities that are supposed to protect cultural heritage.”
Despite the ban on competition, Russia still qualified. They played against Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan and received an invitation to join the Central Asian Football Association in 2023.
Russia had previously considered the possibility of abandoning European football altogether. They considered the possibility of leaving UEFA and moving to the Asian Football Confederation instead.
