With the inaugural match France-Romania opens the third edition of the European Football Championship hosted in France, after those of 1960 and 1984 (won respectively by the USSR and the hosts). This time the event comes at one of the most complicated moments in the recent French history, marked by the terrorism scare after the Paris attacks in November and by the strong social tensions of recent weeks, with hard clashes in the streets following the approval of Jobs Act. In addition, especially in the capital, in the last period there has also been bad weather, which has conditioned another major sporting event such as Roland Garros and endangered the banks of the Seine and the works preserved in the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay.
However, all this will not prevent this European Championship from being the richest in history: above all because it is the first with the new formula, which includes 24 participating national teams and no longer just 16, which means two more groups and one knockout round (for the first time there will be the round of 130, like at the World Cup). But above all because the event, which will be broadcast by 150 television networks from all over the world for an expected average of 95 million viewers per game, yields to UEFA (which owns 5% of the company that organizes the event, the remaining XNUMX % is from the French federation) 1,9 billion euros, more than double of the 850 million of the 2004 edition (in 2012 the proceeds were almost 1,4 billion). In detail, according to official data published by Les Echos, 1 billion of the money comes from TV rights, half a billion from ticket sales and 400 million from sponsors.
Of course also battered France, which it had to support costs of over 1,6 billion to provide 10 stadiums (of which 9 have undergone renovations) and a burglar-proof security system will have its benefits. Some studies have estimated at 1,266 billion the added value of the event, deriving from the consumption of fans inside and outside the stadiums. To these must also be added 180 million in additional tax revenues for the transalpine treasury. In all, almost 10 million fans are expected, of which 2,4 million inside the stadiums (38% foreigners). The average daily expenditure per spectator is estimated at 353 euros for those who go to the stadium (thus including the ticket) and at 108 euros for those who hang out in the fan zones. The city that will benefit the most is obviously Paris, which also counting that of Saint Denis (the scene of one of the attacks last November) will make two stadiums available and will obtain an induced amount of almost 400 million euros.
As regards costs, as mentioned, those for structures have been calculated at over 1,6 billion, of which 38% from public investments and 62% from private individuals. The most expensive intervention was for the stadium in Lyon (where Italy will play its first match against Belgium), which alone cost almost half a billion. Then there are the organizational costs: officially 835 million, almost all paid by UEFA which also allocated 20 million in funds for the host cities. Out of the total organizational costs, only 40 million are borne by the French Federation, while 19 million are spent overall by the participating national teams. UEFA has also done its part with regard to the security budget: the risk of attacks has meant that in all, almost 100.000 men will be mobilized between the police, gendarmes, local security and the army. Total cost 24 million, of which 4 allocated by UEFA, 8 by the French state and 12 by the host cities (which, however, as mentioned, received aid from the European body).
But from this evening the field speaks: it opens the dance there Deschamps National, who intends to field a 4-3-3 with Lloris against Romania; Sagna, Mathieu, Koscielny, Evra; Pogba, Diarra, Matuidi; Griezmann, Giroud, Martial. Among the opponents to report the presence in the 11 owner of the Florentine Tatarusanu and the Neapolitan Chiriches.
