Patrick Nelson speaks with such conviction about Northern Ireland staging games in the 2028 European Championship that one would wonder what all the fuss is about. “We take the view that when you put a hurdle in front of us, we clear it and ask what is next,” says the chief executive of the Irish FA. “We have been relentless in terms of bringing this tournament here. Belfast deserves it, Northern Ireland deserves it. It will be fabulous as and when it happens.”
Nelson seemingly found himself in an invidious position when the UK and Republic of Ireland made a bid to co-host these finals. At that time, as now, Northern Ireland did not have a stadium which met Uefa’s 30,000-capacity criteria. Key to Belfast’s role is the complete rebuild of Casement Park, a derelict Gaelic games ground in west Belfast.
