DUP LEADER JEFFREY Donaldson has said there will be a “lot of questions” for the UK Government if it funds the construction of the Casement Park stadium in west Belfast while Northern Ireland faces a budget crisis.
Donaldson said he did not know if the GAA stadium would be built in time for the Euro 2028 football tournament, but insisted that there would be no extra money from Stormont for the project.
European football’s governing body, Uefa, confirmed yesterday that the UK and Ireland will jointly host the tournament.
The Aviva Stadium is the sole nominated venue for games in the Republic of Ireland, while Casement Park is the sole nominated venue in Northern Ireland, as Windsor Park falls short of capacity requirements.
But the Casement Park site is currently derelict and plans by the GAA to redevelop it with a 34,000 capacity have been mired in controversy and hit by delays.
The project has been been delayed by a series of legal challenges and is further complicated by the lack of a functioning Executive at Stormont.
The redevelopment has also been hit by rising costs, with an original projected price tag from almost a decade ago of £77.5 million (€89.8 million) now believed to have spiralled well above £100 million (€115.9 million).
The GAA is part-funding the project but has yet to reach an agreement with Stormont on how to cover a multimillion-pound shortfall.
Last week, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the Government would be prepared to foot some of the bill.
The DUP leader told the PA news agency that his party would not break the principle of equitable funding for sports stadiums in Northern Ireland.
Asked if he thought Casement Park would be completed in time for the Euros in 2028, he said: “That is a big question, I don’t know at this stage if the new stadium will be built in time, I think there are big questions around all of that.
“We have been very clear, the funding that was set aside for regional stadia in Northern Ireland, that was Windsor Park for football, Ravenhill for Ulster Rugby and Casement for GAA, that was done on an equitable basis, we will not be withdrawing from that principle, we will not see that principle undermined.
“We are very clear, the (Stormont) Executive doesn’t have money, the additional money that is required for this stadium.
“It is massive the amount of extra money that is now required, over and above what was set aside by the Executive.”
Donaldson said he did not know where the extra money for the stadium would come from.
He said: “Some people are talking now in figures of between £150 million and £200 million to complete the stadium. I don’t know how accurate that is.
“Construction costs are going up all the time and frankly, the Executive does not have the funding sitting around that it can allocate to cover those extra costs.
“The money is there that was set aside on an equal basis with football at Windsor Park and rugby at Ravenhill.
“We would not support a departure from the principal of equality when it comes to funding sport in Northern Ireland.
“Therefore, I don’t know where the money is going to come from.”
He added: “There is some talk that the UK Government, because this is a UK-wide programme to deliver the Euros in 2028, that it may put some money on the table.
“But I have to ask the question of the Secretary of State (Chris Heaton-Harris), if you have money for Casement Park, why haven’t you got money for the health service? Why are we facing cuts in education? Why don’t we have the budget that Northern Ireland needs to deliver effective public services?
“That is something we have been pressing the [UK] Government on and the Government is telling us there isn’t extra money, and yet if money is made available for Casement, I think that raises a lot of questions.”
Asked about his reaction to the Irish Government offering to support the project, Donaldson said: “I can’t speak for the Irish Government, that is a matter for them.
“It is a joint bid between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland in terms of hosting the Euros, so we know the Irish Government is obviously going to contribute to whatever additional funding is required in their jurisdiction.
“But I think we need to approach this on the basis of equality and I would have concern where the Irish Government are stepping in – in the circumstances where the principle of equality is not respected.”
Addressing Tánaiste Micheál Martin in the Dáil last week, Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy said: “I would appreciate it if the Tánaiste would outline the role he sees his Government taking to support the redevelopment of Casement Park, a crucial piece of the jigsaw in a project that could become a great international showcase for our country.”
In response, Martin said he is “delighted about the Uefa bid”.
He added: “What is important is that, first of all, we get host nation participation in the finals. That should be sorted.”
There are no guarantees that all five nations (Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Scotland, and Wales) will qualify for the finals.
Uefa’s favoured plan is understood to be for all five nations to go through qualification, with two host nation places available for any that fail to qualify.
However, if more than two nations fail to qualify on merit, only the two best-performing countries would make it.
Martin said that “stadia have to be developed and the UK Government has significant obligations in this regard as well”.
He added: “The Irish Government will work with the UK Government to make sure that our stadia are fit for purpose, available and developed with a view to making sure that we can host the event.
“It is great for the fans and all supporters of football.”
Sinn Féin vice president Michelle O’Neill has previously described the hosting of Euro 2028 games in Belfast as the “opportunity of a lifetime”.
She said: “The hosting of this prestigious tournament will grow our economy, create jobs, and showcase everything that makes our island and people amazing.”
With reporting by Gavin Cooney, Christina Finn and Press Association
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say