It is 150 days until the European Championships kick-off in Germany but the hosts are in a race against time to have the infrastructure ready.
The Mommsenstadion is home to Tennis Borussia Berlin and is set to be a key Euro 2024 training venue and base camp for sides based in and around Berlin from May.
Just a thirty-minute walk away from the Olympiastadion, which is due to host six matches, including the final on July 14th, the Mommsenstadion is hidden away on the northern fringes of the Grunewald forest.
Officially it can hold 15,000 spectators but with only one stand and limited facilities, the old venue hasn’t changed much since it was opened in 1930.
As part of the requirements, the Mommsenstadion is to be modernised with a new heated pitch and new stands.
However, according to the Berliner Morgenpost, a dispute has broken out between the state and the Charlottenburg district in Berlin over the renovations.
On December 21st, the new Sports State Secretary Franziska Becker wrote to responsible city Councilor, Heike Schmitt-Schmelz, asking for confirmation of renovations:
“I would like to ask you most emphatically to ensure that the Mommsenstadion is renovated quickly and smoothly at the next district council meeting. We need the district’s express consent by January 15, 2024 at the latest.”
Confirmations have still not been provided and renovations have not yet started.
District Councilor Schmitt-Schmelz has attached further conditions to the approval.
In addition to the renovation of the stadium, which will cost a total of around €3 million provided by the state, local Councillors have asked for additional funds to update the function space and a new running track.
Stakeholders want to use the opportunity to update the stadium to meet DFL (German Football League) regulations for the third division of German football.
According to the new DFL regulations for 3. Liga, the installation of lawn heating is necessary, the spectator capacity has to be reduced to 5,000 seats for security and a storage facility should be created for possible rioting fans.
Becker is frustrated by the local resistance.
“The state is providing the funds, the renovation is not at the expense of the district,” Becker told the Morgenpost. “The improvement of the Mommsenstadion is absolutely necessary to ensure third division operations.”
Renovating the Mommsenstadion in accordance with the DFL guidelines for the 3. Liga is the most cost-effective option and other options are limited.
The Hohenschönhausen Sports Forum in Lichtenberg would be more expensive to renovate and the Jahn Sports Stadium, currently being developed to meet DFL requirements for 2. Bundesliga, will not be ready for the foreseeable future.
The conversations are ongoing to seek an immediate resolution. However, local issues are symptomatic of wider problems.
Overall, preparations for the European Championships in Germany are not going smoothly.
Sports Senator Iris Spranger (SPD) explained to the Sports Committee of the House of RepresentativesIt that the energy crisis and inflation are making the tendering process more expensive than originally planned.
Costs have escalated.
Instead of the originally planned around €63 million for Berlin alone, preparations for the Capital are now expected to exceed €82 million. A large part of the costs are due to the fan festival in front of the Brandenburg Gate and the Straße des 17. Juni.
The Olympic Stadium is being updated, including new toilet facilities and there are the associated costs for the training pitches in the Mommsenstadion and Ernst Reuter sports field.
With matches and training camps spread across ten stadiums and at least 16 cities and towns across the country, the Championships are likely to be the most expensive footballing tournament in European history but with over 20 million ticket requests across 206 countries vying for accommodation and hospitality, Germany is set for an economic boost this year.
On a footballing front, questions are still being asked of who will actually be involved in Euro 24.
In 2022, Germany’s Interior Minister called on UEFA to exclude Belarus from the competition because of Minsk’s support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Not only Russia, which is waging a war of aggression in violation of international law, but also Belarus, as a major supporter of the Russian leadership, should be excluded from all international football matches and tournaments,” Interior Minister Nancy Faeser wrote in a letter addressed to UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin.
Unlike other federations, UEFA has only excluded Russia from competitions following the invasion of Ukraine.
Soccer must “live up to its responsible role and show a united stance against this form of human rights abuse,” Faeser wrote.
“All those responsible must be deprived of every opportunity to participate in sport, exert influence, or represent themselves in any other way.”
According to The Guardian, Labour peer George Foulkes also wrote to Ceferin asking him to reconsider the organisation’s position on Belarus.
UEFA confirmed last year that Belarus will be in the competition but questions and doubts remain about the tournament.
The public issues in Berlin are just the tip of the iceberg.
GGFN | Oscar O’Mara
