3. Business Statement and Announcement

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:56 pm on 29 June 2021.

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Photo of Lesley Griffiths Lesley Griffiths Labour 2:56, 29 June 2021

Yes, I absolutely agree with you around the achievements of the Welsh squad in getting to the final 16 for the second time—I've waited all my life for them to get to a major tournament for the first time, only for them to do it twice. And if somebody had told me a couple of weeks ago that we would go out the same time as France, I would have thought that we'd have at least got to the semi-final. So, I think, as you say, they did a great job. And it was very frustrating on Saturday, but we all enjoyed the journey to the last 16 that took us up to last Saturday. So, I will certainly ask the First Minister, if he hasn't already done so, to write to the FAW.

I think your second point around the unfairness—. Certainly, when you have a tournament that goes around 11 countries, I don't see why any country, personally, should play in their home country. And, as you said, it was very unfair that some countries—and ones playing tonight—went no miles, and our country went, I think, 5,500 miles. So, certainly, if UEFA are going to take it out of more than one country, I think there needs to be some equality that we certainly didn't see this time.