Tanaiste holds firm on national stadium
Tanaiste Mary Harney will continue to threaten the chances of a joint Scottish-Irish bid for the 2008 European soccer championships if her party is returned to power in a coalition government in the forthcoming General Election, it emerged today.
The Tanaiste will refuse to compromise on a scaled-down 60,000 capacity venue if the Progressive Democrats return to power in a coalition next month.
Under the proposed terms of the soccer bid, Scotland will provide six stadiums and Ireland a further two.
Dublin’s Lansdowne Road is a guaranteed Irish venue, although it will need major works before is will be suitable to host 2008 tournament matches.
But it was reported today that Ms Harney, when asked if in renewed negotiations for government she would be prepared to compromise by allowing a 60,000-seater stadium to be built at Abbotstown, simply replied: ‘‘No.’’
Her tough stance, combined with last weekend’s GAA decision to keep Croke Park exclusive to Gaelic Games, means that if the PDs remain in power, Ireland cannot now guarantee that it will have two stadiums to offer.
The new proposed stadium, at Abbotstown on the outskirts of Dublin, has been the focus of a rift between Ms Harney and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern for months.
Ms Harney believes that the GAA could be persuaded to change its mind and allow Croke Park to be opened to soccer but this was further complicated when the Football Association of Ireland said it would not make Lansdowne Road available for the tournament unless the new stadium was built.
Transforming Lansdowne Road into an all-seat venue would significantly reduce its capacity, meaning soccer would have no home ground big enough to host major international matches, the FAI said.
