As the men’s European Championship is entering its latter stages in Germany, it is exactly one year until Women’s Euro 2025 begins in Switzerland.
In 365 days, the hosts will get things under way at St Jakob-Park in Basel and holders England will be hoping to defend their title.
In the bidding process to host the competition, Switzerland beat Poland and France as well as a combined bid from Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway. It is the Swiss’s first major tournament since 2008 when they jointly hosted the men’s European Championship with Austria.
St Jakob-Park hosted a semi-final at the men’s Euros in 2008 (AMA/Corbis via Getty Images)
“This is an historic day for Switzerland, the SFA (Swiss Football Association) and women’s football,” said Dominique Blanc, president of the SFA upon being confirmed as the winning bidder in April 2023. “This major step will shape the development of women’s football at all levels.”
Yet the lead-up to the tournament has been disrupted by concerns around the budget, so The Athletic looks at what the situation is now, with a year to go.
What happened to Switzerland’s tournament budget?
In January, the Swiss government announced it would offer 4million Swiss Francs (£3.5m, $4.5m) to support the tournament. The decision was met with concern given that in their bid, there had been a promise of 15m Swiss Francs.
Broadcaster Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF) reported the decision had been made as a result of the economic situation in the country, with cuts expected to nationwide marketing for the tournament as well as scrapping a proposed discount for public transport.
The Federal Council was not set to be the only source of funding — host cities and the cantons (the districts that make up the Swiss state) had also pledged budget to the tournament. But, as a result of the cuts, host cities were likely to be spending far more money than the government on the tournament. Zurich, for example, is set to spend 18.5m Swiss Francs and Basel 12.9m.
What was the reaction?
Unsurprisingly, the cuts were met with outrage.
Many pointed out that, in 2008, the government had allocated 82million Swiss Francs for the men’s Euros — more than 20 times the amount proposed for the women’s competition. The difference in spending was justified by the government on the basis that a large portion of that funding had to go to security due to the nature of the event.
Katharina Ali-Oesch, a councillor from host city Thun, told SRF her reaction was “pure disappointment” and the cuts would present “large challenges”, adding that if the budget did not increase, Thun might have to withdraw from being a host city.
National councillor Matthias Aebischer described it as a “catastrophe”, while another national councillor, Corina Gredig, said it risked becoming a “junk” tournament.
The SFA also spoke out, releasing a statement saying that, while it was grateful for the contribution from the government, “these funds are only partially sufficient to achieve the goals of making the summer of 2025 in our country an event with international appeal and, above all, with a lasting impact for Swiss girls’ and women’s football”.
The success of Euro 2022 in England particularly put the decision under the spotlight.
While it is not exactly clear how much England spent on hosting that competition — London contributed £3.5million, far less than some of what was being proposed by the Swiss cities — the financial return was significant. The impact report estimated there was an £81m boost in economic activity from the tournament, with £44m spent by spectators around matchdays specifically.
England hosting and winning Euro 22 is now considered a watershed moment for women’s football in the UK (Harriet Lander/Getty Images)
So what changed?
Pressure was placed on the Swiss government in the following months. The eight host cities wrote a letter to the government in March to encourage them to reconsider its decision. This was supported by the Committee of the Council of States for Science, Education and Culture, as well as the Finance Commission.
The Swiss government only meets four times a year for three-week sessions, so the decision was not reversed until May 30. Eventually, the National Council and Council of States, which makes up the lower and upper houses of the Swiss Assembly, voted to reverse the decision and allocate the original amount of 15million Swiss Francs to the tournament.
Speaking after the decision, Blanc said: “Together with the federal government, cantons and cities, we are looking forward to tackling the upcoming home European Championship and at the same time developing girls’ and women’s football in our country sustainably and in the long term.”
Marion Daube, the women’s football director, added: “We are delighted to now be able to really move forward with the planning in order to hold the tournament on the scale it deserves.”
However, despite the government U-turn, it is hard not to feel like the wrangling over the budget during the past six months will hang over the tournament. The fact that only widespread outrage forced them to provide the money that was originally promised does not portray the government in a good light.
The hope within Switzerland will be that, with the budget now secured, the year leading up to the tournament will allow them to make the most of it.
(Top photo: Claudio Villa/Getty Images)
Read the full article here