The preparation of the stadium environment in the Altonaer Volkspark for the European Football Championship 2024 should cost more than one million euros. The Hamburg-Altona district office announced this in the course of budget talks, said the deputy leader of the CDU parliamentary group in the district assembly, Tim Schmuckall, of the German Press Agency. He fears that the district will be left with the costs alone and that the funds will then be lacking elsewhere. “At the moment, the Senate is leaving Altona completely out in the rain with the costs and organization of the event,” he said.
In addition to Hamburg, the European Football Championship is to be held in June and July 2024 in Berlin, Munich, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart, Cologne, Leipzig, Dortmund, Gelsenkirchen and Frankfurt. Four group games and a quarter-final are to take place in the Volksparkstadion.
So far, there has been no agreement between the Senate and the district as to who will be in charge of the preparations, said Schmuckall. According to the district office, around 400,000 euros would have to be estimated for improvements in the park area around the stadium in order to meet UEFA requirements. “According to the information, this also includes the removal of all stickers, graffiti and so on.” 250,000 euros would have to be spent on more safety in the park, and another 500,000 euros on maintenance measures on sidewalks, ancillary areas and roadways.
“Many Hamburgers are looking forward to the 2024 European Football Championship in their own city. But it is not enough that the Hamburg Senate has decided to bring the European Championship to Hamburg-Altona Improvement of security and the entire stadium environment can also be made financially and organizationally possible,” said Schmuckall. “If you order, you have to pay!”
In an application for the district assembly, the CDU demands that the financial authorities assume the costs in full and provide the district with appropriate budget funds. The interior authority responsible for sport in Hamburg must organize the measures to meet the UEFA requirements and implement them quickly in coordination with the district, it goes on to say.
When asked, the district office said that it was not yet aware of UEFA’s ideas about the stadium environment. “This means that no statements can be made about costs at the current time,” said a spokeswoman.
CDU application
