Upon taking office as the mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi announced his intention to make Nice a dynamic and sportive city by organizing major sporting events. This was evidenced with the Nice 2018 attempt. Today, the deputy mayor is launching a campaign with the project of Nice’s bid to host matches for Euro 2016, for which France is a candidate.
Accompanied by his deputy for sports, Gilles Veissière (former international football referee) and Eric Ciotti (President of the Alpes-Maritimes General Council), Christian Estrosi thanked Jean-Pierre Escalettes for all that he has accomplished and continues to accomplish for French football. He then described the appointment of Gilles Veissière as the deputy for sports as “a sign of Nice’s respect for football.” The deputy mayor then provided an update on the construction of the large stadium: “I am prepared to make all the modifications required by UEFA.” The mayor emphasized that the stadium will fit within the Eco-Valley framework and will be environmentally compliant. The stadium is scheduled for delivery in June 2013, one year before UEFA’s deadline. By this date, stadiums must be completed to be considered in the bids.
“Nice has extraordinary assets.”
Jean-Pierre Escalettes, on his part, expressed surprise at the motivation of the cities to host Euro 2016. The President of the Football Federation still has to visit 9 of the 14 cities on the tour. If France wins the bid to host the competition, only 9 cities will have the opportunity to host matches. Nice appears to be at the top of the list according to Jean-Pierre Escalettes: “The city has extraordinary attributes: its airport, tramway, motorway, not to mention its hotel capacity… If France is chosen, Nice will be chosen.”
“When we organize an event, it’s to win it on a sporting level.” Frédéric Thiriez emphasized the major stakes of the French and Nice bid. Later, when asked about the French national team, he urged the French people to increase their support for the blues before concluding: “We will qualify for the 2010 World Cup, I’m sure of it!”
