A selection of Ligue 1 sides are facing the prospect of playing their top-flight football in shiny new stadiums after initial plans were put in place by the FFF in preparation for France’s Euro 2016 bid nearly 20 years after hosting the 1998 World Cup.
The FFF has this week announced the shortlist of cities pivotal to their hosting aspirations. The 12 cities named, include Nice, Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Saint-Etienne, Lyon, Lille, Lens, Strasbourg, Nancy and the capital city of Paris. Montpellier and Metz have been cut from the initial 14 cities who put their name forward. Of the shortlisted 12, Lyon, Bordeaux, Nice and Lille look set to be the beneficiaries of new developments. The remainder, with the exception of the Stade de France will receive generous renovations in order to raise the standard of the stadia in France in time for the competition in 2016. From the shortlist only nine will be selected with the remaining cities providing back-up in case of construction difficulties with the chosen stadia.
LFP President Fr
