Abodi backs Maradona revamp for Euro 2032, admits De Laurentiis rift
The sports minister says the stadium project meets every requirement for a Euro 2032 host, while confirming the Napoli president's distrust of the process.
Sports minister Abodi has backed the restyling project for the Diego Armando Maradona stadium as part of Italy's bid to host Euro 2032, which it will stage jointly with Turkey. Speaking on the sidelines of the 2027 America's Cup, Abodi said: "The Maradona project respects the name, the history, and projects the stadium into a new dimension of greater accessibility, functionality and hosting capacity, so it meets every requirement for a stadium worthy of the club's ambitions." He said it was "hard to imagine a Euros without Napoli", but warned the city's place among the host venues is not guaranteed: there is a competition under way with other cities, and, as he put it, "may the best one win."
Work on the project continues through the Region and the Municipality, with technical support from commissioner Sessa and, Abodi said, the possibility of "small additional support" from the government on the financial side.
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Abodi also addressed the more delicate issue of relations with the club's ownership: "I have always found President De Laurentiis's distrust, I respect his view, and I hope it can be proven wrong by the facts." For Abodi, Napoli remains "a secular institution" of the city, and he hopes dialogue between the club and the local administrations can resume.
Source: Il Napolista
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