Irish FA chief executive hopes Northern Ireland will still 'have as big a part as possible' in Euro 2028
Patrick Nelson says the Irish Football Association is hoping Northern Ireland will still "have as big a part as possible" in Euro 2028.
The association's chief executive was left "disappointed" that there would be no games played here following the UK government's decision not to provide funding to redevelop Casement Park in time for the tournament due to spiralling costs.
The GAA stadium, which has been derelict since 2013, was the only ground in Northern Ireland included in the successful bid with the IFA backing the plans because of Windsor Park's limited capacity.
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But following Friday's announcement on the redevelopment of the home of gaelic games in Belfast, Nelson confirmed in an interview with the BBC that there would be no tournament games played in the province.
"I guess the only thing I can say at this point is that Northern Ireland will not be hosting games," said Nelson. "We do accept that decision, we are very disappointed by it. We definitely would hope to be part of the tournament in a playing capacity. We hope that every single time. That will be our aim.
"It is a little bit early to speak about what other parts of the tournament we can contribute to at this point. You can rest assured that we will be talking to all of the relevant partners to maximise what we can for Northern Ireland."
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