Or, to be more accurate, this is Dublin answering the phone. The Europa League final is back in town for the first time since 2011, given to us as a consolation prize for being unwilling to host our Euro 2020 games amid the pandemic. We are told this event a tremendous showcase for Dublin and Ireland – let’s hope nobody looks too closely at the state into which we have allowed our actual football facilities to descend! – but while Molly Malone, Trinity College and the Convention Centre (?) have got plenty of airtime on Uefa’s promotional videos, this isn’t an invitation to Europe to see what we’re all about.
No, the Dublin Portal is a true showcase of who we are: this final is a test of Dublin’s ability to host Uefa’s strictly-uniformed travelling circus. Uefa moved into Dublin 4 a few weeks ago – which resulted in Leinster crossing the Liffey for their Champions Cup semi-final – to prepare this final to look like all of the recent finals. Hence the national football stadium is now known as the ‘Dublin Arena’, as Aviva are not among Uefa’s retinue of sponsors.
This is, in fairness, a major operation: over 53km of fibre optic cables have been wound around the ground so as to be able to broadcast the game across the world, with footage to be captured by 30 cameras around the stadium. The last time this game was held in Dublin, one of the most exciting young coaches in the game led their side to the second leg of a treble with victory, having won the do.
