{"id":7350,"date":"2021-06-22T17:14:42","date_gmt":"2021-06-22T17:14:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/?p=7350"},"modified":"2021-07-13T12:41:54","modified_gmt":"2021-07-13T12:41:54","slug":"euro-2020-brussel-eurostadion-blamage-eurostadium-european-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/euro-2020-brussel-eurostadion-blamage-eurostadium-european-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"Euro 2020: How Brussels lost their spot to host the games"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With Euro 2020 being hosted all over Europe, many countries tried to find ways to get some games hosted in their country \u2013 including Belgium. The <em>Eurostadion <\/em>(Eurostadium) was supposed to be Belgium\u2019s point of pride in the European Cup. But yeah, it was supposed to be\u2026 What happened, and how did it go from a <em>prestigeproject <\/em>(prestige project) to a <em>blamage <\/em>(embarrassment)?<\/p>\n<p><strong>All posts in this series<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/euro-2020-oranje-is-back\/\">Euro 2020: Oranje is back!<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/euro-2020-brussel-eurostadion-blamage-eurostadium-european-cup\/\">Euro 2020: How Brussels lost their spot to host the games<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/euro-2020-oranje-is-out-football-soccer\/\">Euro 2020: Oranje is Out \ud83d\ude41<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Euro 2020 \u2013 How The Dutch Are Still Represented\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/euro-2020-how-the-dutch-are-still-represented-martin-garrix-music-song\/\">Euro 2020 &#8211; How The Dutch Are Still Represented<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/euro-2020-dutch-referees-whistling-the-finals\/\">Euro 2020 &#8211; Dutch Referees Whistling The Finals!<\/a><\/p>\n<h1><strong>The Plans for a <em>Eurostadion<\/em><\/strong><\/h1>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"EUROSTADION brussel\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/z11JJldErKk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Buried under <em>grootheidswaanzin <\/em>(megalomania), <em>onkunde <\/em>(ignorance) and <em>politieke spelletjes<\/em> (political games). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hln.be\/rode-duivels\/reconstructie-belgie-had-vandaag-de-openingsmatch-moeten-organiseren-het-eurostadion-is-stukgelopen-op-amateurisme~add9f4c0\/\">That\u2019s what news outlet HLN writes.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>In Brussel\u2019s quest to become <em>gaststad <\/em>(host city) of the Euro 2020, many things went wrong. And thanks to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hln.be\/belgisch-voetbal\/van-de-gouden-kans-tot-een-blamage-van-jewelste-de-soap-van-het-eurostadion-die-vijf-jaar-duurde~affcf626\/?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F\">a great timeline by HLN, the entire fiasco can be told right from the start.<\/a> It all started almost 9 years ago, in December 2012. The UEFA decides that the Euro 2020 was to be held in 13 cities all over Europe, to celebrate its 60<sup>th<\/sup> anniversary. Immediately, Belgium\u2019s <em>voetbalbond <\/em>(football association) wanted to get in on the action: <em>&#8220;Dit is een realistische opportuniteit om een groot voetbalevenement naar Brussel te halen&#8221;<\/em> (This is a realistic opportunity to bring a large football event to Brussels), said then secretary-general Steven Martens.<\/p>\n<h1><strong>Beginning the Project<\/strong><\/h1>\n<p>And so, the story of the <em>Eurostadion <\/em>begins. A location is quickly found: Parking C of the Heizel. It is part of the city of Brussels, but on <em>grondgebied <\/em>(territory) of the city of Grimbergen. So that already complicates things. The plan is to start building in 2016 and finishing in 2019.<\/p>\n<p>With this plan, the city submits their bid to host games at the Euro 2020. And lo and behold, a year later, UEFA officially makes Brussels one of the 13 <em>gaststeden <\/em>of the Euro 2020.<\/p>\n<p>Over the following years, there is some progress. A <em>bouwheer<\/em> (builder) is found in the company consortium BAM-Ghelamco. RSC Anderlecht, one of Belgium\u2019s most prestigious clubs, signs up to use the stadium for their club. And the city of Brussels is excited for the new <em>stadion <\/em>too, so that the old <em>Koning Boudewijnstadion <\/em>(King Baudouin Stadium) can be torn down.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, there are some disagreements and bumps in the road. Literally. One of the complaints from Grimbergen is that the new <em>stadion <\/em>would lead to the removal of <em>buurtweg nr 3 <\/em>(regional road no 3). At first, the <em>bouwheer <\/em>is given positive signs that the <em>buurtweg <\/em>can be removed. But then <em>gemeente <\/em>(municipality) Wemmel <em>dient bezwaar in <\/em>(lodges in an objection). Then Vilvoorde. And the issue of the <em>buurtweg <\/em>becomes a real <em>doorn in het oog <\/em>(\u201cthorn in the eye\u201d). In January 2017, the <em>gemeenteraad <\/em>(municipal council) of Grimbergen can\u2019t find a <em>meerderheid <\/em>(majority) for removal of the <em>buurtweg<\/em>. So we\u2019re already a year later than the initial plan to begin construction.<\/p>\n<p>But can construction even begin?<\/p>\n<h1><strong>The\u00a0<em>Buurtweg<\/em><\/strong><\/h1>\n<div id=\"attachment_7367\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone post-item__attachment\"><a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/gaFl0x3Ok0Y\" aria-label=\"Tamar Gogua GaFl0x3Ok0Y Unsplash 1024x944\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7367\" class=\"size-large wp-image-7367\"  alt=\"Brussels Eurostadion\" width=\"1024\" height=\"944\" \/ src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2021\/06\/tamar-gogua-gaFl0x3Ok0Y-unsplash-1024x944.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2021\/06\/tamar-gogua-gaFl0x3Ok0Y-unsplash-1024x944.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2021\/06\/tamar-gogua-gaFl0x3Ok0Y-unsplash-350x323.jpg 350w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2021\/06\/tamar-gogua-gaFl0x3Ok0Y-unsplash-768x708.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2021\/06\/tamar-gogua-gaFl0x3Ok0Y-unsplash.jpg 1058w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-7367\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">De weg kwijt! The Eurostadion was to be built close to the Atomium in Brussels (Photo by <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@tamara_tmr?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText\">Tamar Gogua<\/a> on <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/s\/photos\/brussels?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText\">Unsplash<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The dilemma with the <em>buurtweg <\/em>in turn led denial of a <em>vergunning <\/em>(permit) to build the <em>stadion <\/em>at all. The <em>milieuvergunningsaanvraag <\/em>(environmental permit application) is denied.<\/p>\n<p>RSC Anderlecht steps out of the project, because it is not happy with the plans of <em>bouwheer <\/em>Ghelamco. In March, Ben Weyts, the <em>Vlaams minister van Openbare Werken en Mobiliteit <\/em>(Flemish minister of Public Works and Mobility) refuses to sell the <em>gronden <\/em>(areas) where the <em>stadion <\/em>is to be built. He says there is little left of the original plans.<\/p>\n<p>And yet, on March 31, 2017, UEFA <em>bevestigt nogmaals <\/em>(reaffirms) their <em>vertrouwen <\/em>(confidence) in Brussels and the <em>Eurostadion<\/em>. However, the battle over <em>vergunningen <\/em>keeps going. Ghelamco <em>gaat in beroep <\/em>(appeals) against the <em>besluit <\/em>(decision) to deny the <em>vergunningen<\/em>, and hands in new ones. In September of the same year, UEFA tells Brussels that they have until November before they will look for replacements that can host the <em>toernooi <\/em>(tournament). On December 7, it will decides whether to keep Brussels or not.<\/p>\n<h1><strong>A real\u00a0<em>blamage<\/em><\/strong><\/h1>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Het Eurostadion-project door de ogen van NOS-correspondent Joris van Poppel (27.01.2017)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0_GsPp1xJGg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Even though it is <em>vijf voor twaalf <\/em>(\u201cfive before twelve\u201d), nothing really happens, except more <em>negatieve adviezen <\/em>(negative opinions) from <em>overheidsinstanties <\/em>(government institutions). The <em>vergunningen <\/em>don\u2019t come. And on December 7, the decision comes in from UEFA: Brussels is out. The <em>Eurostadion <\/em>is dead. A real <em>blamage<\/em>!<\/p>\n<p>The games that were meant to be played in Brussels were assigned to the Wembley Stadium in London.<\/p>\n<p>Some say this whole <em>blamage <\/em>was simply caused by <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/what-do-the-belgians-speak\/\">the difficult political situation in Belgium<\/a>. After all, Brussels, a mostly Wallonian city, wanted to build their <em>stadion <\/em>on <em>grondgebied <\/em>of a Flemish <em>gemeente<\/em>, Grimbergen. But perhaps it is not that easy. Many parties were involved in this project, and different obstacles came up, not just political ones. And sometimes, big projects like this simply go down this road, just <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/a-german-construction-disaster-comes-to-a-close\/\">like the BER Airport in Berlin<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<img width=\"350\" height=\"323\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2021\/06\/tamar-gogua-gaFl0x3Ok0Y-unsplash-350x323.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Brussels Eurostadion\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2021\/06\/tamar-gogua-gaFl0x3Ok0Y-unsplash-350x323.jpg 350w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2021\/06\/tamar-gogua-gaFl0x3Ok0Y-unsplash-1024x944.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2021\/06\/tamar-gogua-gaFl0x3Ok0Y-unsplash-768x708.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2021\/06\/tamar-gogua-gaFl0x3Ok0Y-unsplash.jpg 1058w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><p>With Euro 2020 being hosted all over Europe, many countries tried to find ways to get some games hosted in their country \u2013 including Belgium. The Eurostadion (Eurostadium) was supposed to be Belgium\u2019s point of pride in the European Cup. But yeah, it was supposed to be\u2026 What happened, and how did it go from&hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"post-item__readmore\"><a class=\"btn btn--md\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/euro-2020-brussel-eurostadion-blamage-eurostadium-european-cup\/\">Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":110,"featured_media":7367,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[60713,3590,27711,551511,27714,551514,358707],"tags":[9830,8580,551522,2143,122,9617],"class_list":["post-7350","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture-2","category-dutch-language","category-dutch-vocabulary-2","category-idioms","category-news-2","category-politics","category-sports","tag-architecture","tag-belgium","tag-euro-2020","tag-football","tag-politics","tag-voetbal"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/110"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7350"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7350\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7400,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7350\/revisions\/7400"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7367"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}