French Football Federation President Noël Le Graët said that 10 stadiums, one more than required, will be ready for the 2016 Euro Championships, according to the AP. French organizers need "a minimum of nine stadiums" for the event, which will be expanded from 16 to 24 teams. Eight stadiums are on their way to being refurbished by late '14 or June '15, and Le Graët is "confident Lens will fully renovate its existing stadium and Lyon will successfully build a gleaming new one in time." Le Graët said, "We're on track, even if one or two stadiums are a bit behind. Everything will be ready within the deadlines set by UEFA.'' French Sports Minister Valerie Fourneyron added that the government will contribute €160M ($207M) to help stadium renovations. Improvements to Paris St. Germain's home, the Parc des Princes, "will also be privately funded." The work at Lens, Saint-Etienne and Toulouse will all be publicly funded. Funding on the stadiums in Bordeaux, Marseille and Nice will be "shared between the public and private sectors" (AP, 10/23).
