There are a multitude of advantages to holding a major tournament, but one of those that seems to have slipped under the radar since kickoff of Euro 2016 is that France has seen some truly spectacular stadia built.
Whether old venues have been regenerated, as in Marseille, or new ones constructed, as down the road in Nice, Ligue 1 can look forward to a number seasons of aesthetic pleasure for its settings. For a country that houses a great many grand masters, it can add some new artworks to its repertoire.
When the host for the tournament was announced, France edged out both Turkey and Italy. The Italian bid was not widely popular, but as France held the World Cup in 1998, and Italy (way) back in 1990, it carried some weight.
In the end, Italy were eliminated in the first round, leaving the other two countries to duke it out. That is ancient history now, the process began in 2009, and the plans for each prospective host country have been consigned to the annals of time.
And yet.
“Euro 2016 represents an historic opportunity to transform the quality, security and ambience of Italian stadia,” claimed Giancarlo Abete, then-FIGC chairman.
In a country where certain top flight grounds allow rubble to be collected en route to the stands and many others offer little more than basic facilities, the boon to its stadia would have been far reaching.
12 host cities were nominated, and of their grounds, only the Stadia Olimpico in Rome and the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza were not in need of significant renovation or reconstruction.
Perhaps more pertinently, looking at those stadia today, only two are owned by the clubs who play in them. The remainder are the property of the local municipality. For what is such a black and white issue, it is appropriate that Udinese and Juventus are those two.
It is unquestionable that owning one’s own stadium opens previously unavailable revenue streams for a club and Juventus’ rise on the various European rich lists is strongly correlated to the existence of their own stadium.
This has seen them move further and further away from their rivals, who have no recourse to those funds.
Yet the problem in France is redoubled. In Italy, there is a need for new stadia, and clubs have an incentive to follow the Juventus model to their own ends.
Those clubs with a wish to reach the top table not only have a need to leave their dilapidated stadia but an example of what can be achieved if they strike out on their own.
The regulations in Italy are famously stringent in terms of building new venues, but Fiorentina and Roma are both in the process of negotiating their way through the prohibitive red tape, aiming to steal a march on the Milan clubs, Napoli and Lazio by doing so.
The Viola, as owners of the new development, will reap the benefits of that revenue for themselves. Roma, should they eventually leave the Stadio Olimpico as planned, would do the same. The road to catching Juventus may be long, but they are treading it and others will have to follow.
As such, the days of the municipally-owned stadium in Italy may be numbered, at least at the very top level. There is a mappable course to an more even future. That would produce a more competitive league competition as well as better venues for that competition to take place.
Yet across the border in France, what is the incentive? Why would Nice build a stadium of their own when their city council have provided the Allianz Riviera? In a league already dominated by one team, only Lyon, who relied on local funding to build Parc Olympique Lyonnais but are the owners of the stadium, will benefit from the financial clout of their stadium to press forward.
There is no incentive for Marseille, for St Etienne, for Lille, to build their own grounds as they have been given fully functioning modern facilities that remain in the control of their local councils.
Paris Saint-Germain, who don’t have any need for that revenue, will be laughing all the way to the title.
Italy’s clubs were given an opportunity when the country missed out on hosting Euro 2016. They can ensure that Serie A remains competitive for years to come, and can ensure their fans do so in stadia that are both comfortable and contemporary.
It will not be cheap, and it will not be easy, but the future could be bright for Serie A’s stadia. From this perspective, it will be an interesting few years.