By John Considine
Yesterday, for a few moments, there was a good discussion between the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and a NewsTalk radio presenter. It came at the end of a 14-minute interview (interview here). The presenter asked about the Minister's misgivings concerning the Football Association of Ireland's bid to co-host Euro2028.
The Minister set out his objection clearly. It is the one that most economists would list. Specifically, he questioned the claim that the event would bring extra tourist to the country rather than displace those tourists who already visit. Anyone trying to find a hotel room in Dublin will know what the Minister is talking about.
It was a pity that the Minister continued by saying that he accepted the answer he got from the Department of Sport. That answer started with a bit of waffle about marketing the tournament. It then proceeded to talk about increasing accommodation. Again, I presume that anyone looking for accommodation in a host city is unlikely to disagree with such an objective. However, it seems strange that any accommodation issue is going to be sorted for a handful of football games in 2028 rather than the hundreds of other days in 2028 alone - let alone the thousands of days until then.
The presenter did his best to highlight that the claims by the Department of Sport missed the mark. The Minister repeated his claim that he accepted the answer provided by the Department of Sport and then he started to drift into the "sport has other benefits" arguments.
Overall, it was a big plus that the Minister acknowledged the arguments presented in the economics research literature in addition to the ones presented in "research" by commissioned consultants.
The Minister set out his objection clearly. It is the one that most economists would list. Specifically, he questioned the claim that the event would bring extra tourist to the country rather than displace those tourists who already visit. Anyone trying to find a hotel room in Dublin will know what the Minister is talking about.
It was a pity that the Minister continued by saying that he accepted the answer he got from the Department of Sport. That answer started with a bit of waffle about marketing the tournament. It then proceeded to talk about increasing accommodation. Again, I presume that anyone looking for accommodation in a host city is unlikely to disagree with such an objective. However, it seems strange that any accommodation issue is going to be sorted for a handful of football games in 2028 rather than the hundreds of other days in 2028 alone - let alone the thousands of days until then.
The presenter did his best to highlight that the claims by the Department of Sport missed the mark. The Minister repeated his claim that he accepted the answer provided by the Department of Sport and then he started to drift into the "sport has other benefits" arguments.
Overall, it was a big plus that the Minister acknowledged the arguments presented in the economics research literature in addition to the ones presented in "research" by commissioned consultants.
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