Cagliari is aiming for Europe, relying on one of its greatest treasures: the Roman amphitheater . The archaeological site, closed for 15 years and only recently partially reopened, has been chosen as the venue for the draw for the 2032 European Championship groups. Mayor Massimo Zedda made this clear in a letter to FIGC president Giovanni Malagò, presenting Cagliari as a venue for the championship matches. The mayor plans to reopen the amphitheater before that date.
Meanwhile, the FIGC must complete the review of the bids by Tuesday, and Cagliari must present its most important card: the publication of the international tender for the new stadium. There are 48 hours left, but optimism is filtering through from Palazzo Bacaredda. The project review took longer than expected, due to the numerous objections raised by the reviewing firm, which has pushed the timeline back once again. However, the work is practically complete. The opposition, however, rejects the approach.
"It used to be simply called arriving late," attacks Pierluigi Mannino, leader of the FdI group in the city council . "For two years they told us that the tender for the new stadium would be published in June, so as to meet the requirements and deadlines for Euro 2032. Then June became July. July became 'by the summer.' And summer, evidently, must have a rather flexible conception of the calendar. Now we're approaching October 1st, when the FIGC must submit the eligible stadiums to UEFA, and suddenly the city's 'blitz' appears. We've arrived late. Once again. But the masterpiece arrives with the candidacy of the Roman amphitheater to host the group draw. In short, we don't have the tender for the stadium yet, but we're already ready to organize the draw. It's like booking the catering for a housewarming while the contractor still has to dig the foundations ." When you have years to prepare and find yourself rushing in just days before the deadline, maybe the problem isn't the deadline. It's the calendar. Or, more likely, who was supposed to be looking at it. Planning is precisely what avoids rushes. Otherwise, it's not planning. It's improvisation.
