Belfast (Reuters) - The UK government on Friday said it will not fund the redevelopment of Northern Ireland's Casement Park in time for the 2028 European Championship.
The derelict west Belfast stadium was earmarked to host five matches in Euro 2028, being jointly hosted by the UK and Ireland.
In a letter to the British jurisdiction's minister for communities Gordon Lyons, the UK's Northern Ireland minister Hilary Benn said the cost of building Casement Park had risen to 400 million pounds ($524.8 million), and the UK government will not fund the redevelopment because of the risk it would not be built in time.
"The estimated build costs have risen dramatically -from £180m when the EURO 2028 bid was awarded in October 2023 to potentially over £400m - and there is a significant risk that it would not be built in time for the tournament," said Benn.
"We have therefore, regrettably, decided that it is not appropriate for the UK government to provide funding to seek to build Casement Park in time to host matches at Euro 2028."
"This has been a very difficult decision to make, given our belief in the Euro 2028 partnership, but it is the only way forward in the circumstances."
Michelle O'Neill, the Irish nationalist leader of Northern Ireland's regional government, said the decision not to proceed in time to host UEFA Euro 2028 was "deeply disappointing and a missed opportunity not only for local sport, but for our economy".
($1 = 0.7622 pound)
(Reporting by Graham Fahy; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
