UEFA president backs Irish infrastructure investment
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
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Football Association of Ireland meeting comes weeks before Dublin stages the UEFA Europa League final on 22 May.
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UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin recently welcomed his Football Association of Ireland (FAI) counterpart, Paul Cooke, to UEFA HQ for the first time following his election to the role last year.
During their meeting, the pair talked about proposed government investment funding to support the development of the game in the Republic of Ireland, which will stage its second UEFA Europa League final on 22 May.
"It was my pleasure to welcome the new FAI President to UEFA," said President Čeferin. "We held a very productive meeting where we discussed the ongoing need for investment into facilities and academies and the FAI proposals in their strategy document, which we fully endorse here at UEFA."
Mr Cooke added: "I want to thank President Čeferin for his warm welcome at UEFA Headquarters and for his thoughts on and support for our Strategy. UEFA have been loyal supporters of Irish football and the FAI."
The Republic of Ireland will also jointly host UEFA EURO 2028 alongside England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.