Uefa sets names for EM stadiums in Germany
The Allianz Arena in Munich is also getting a new name for the EM 2024
Source: dpa/Tobias Hase
Eight. of the ten German stadiums at the home EM 2024 will be given new names for the tournament. The determinations of Uefa cause some astonishment. In the Ruhr area, the club names also come into play.
In coming summer, Germany is hosting the European Football Championship. It is the first tournament as the sole organizer since the World Cup, which is remembered as a summer fairy tale, especially in this country. Germany’s reputation also improved noticeably abroad after the World Cup.
For the EM 2024, the European Football Association Uefa is prescribing special rules this time; apparently with the concern that the foreign fans in Germany find their way around more easily.
As the trade magazine “Kicker” reports, Uefa is said to have spent twelve months renaming the stadiums at the venues. This had become necessary because, according to the guidelines of the association, the venues are not allowed to bear sponsor names during the tournament. The problem: Almost every German club has now marketed the naming rights to its stadium.
Uefa therefore had to overcome a number of language barriers. The result is a mix of German and English that causes astonishment. The name of the Dortmund stadium in particular seems strange. During the World Cup, games will be played in the “BVB Stadion Dortmund” instead of in the Signal-Iduna-Park. According to “Kicker”, it’s because the atmosphere in the former Westfalenstadion is very popular abroad.
The creative minds at Uefa also lent a hand with their arch-rival in Gelsenkirchen. According to the report, the fact that the Veltins Arena was not named after the city but the club is simply because Schalke is the better-known term in European football. The city of Gelsenkirchen had to be convinced in this regard, it is said. After all: The Hamburger Volksparkstadion and the Berlin Olympiastadion are allowed to keep their names for the tournament.
