Cornerstone Tapped In for Construction of National Football Stadium
Bratislava, September 1 (TASR) – Prime Minister Robert Fico on Thursday along with representatives of the state, Slovakia’s capital of Bratislava and local authorities tapped in the cornerstone of the construction of a National Football Stadium (NFS), TASR learnt on the same day.
“After eight, nine years of discussions and overcoming many obstacles, we’ve finally come to the beginning of the construction,” said Fico.
“Football is a global social phenomenon,” added the prime minister, noting that the construction of NFS forms part of the Cabinet’s strategy to help football.
Bratislava Mayor Ivo Nesrovnal sees the start of the construction of the stadium at Tehelne Pole in Bratislava as a new chapter of Slovak football, but also an important step in the development of the city. “Tehelne Pole is one of the most important parts of Bratislava, a place that belongs to sport, ice-hockey, swimming, cycling, and I’m glad that football is returning here too,” said Nesrovnal, declaring his full support for the project.
“As Rio de Janeiro has its Maracana, London has Wembley, we want to have Tehelne Pole,” he said in reference to some famous world stadiums.
Juraj Bacmanak, manager of Strabag company, which won the tender for the construction of NFS, has told TASR that laying the concrete will start as early as September 10.
“We’re now dealing with the statics, documentation, preparatory work, and we’re about to start preparations for sewerage, electricity and water,” said Bacmanak.
Strabag will build NFS, with a seating capacity of more than 20,000, for €59.77 million (VAT included) in 76 weeks. The stadium is expected to be concluded and put into operation at the end of 2018 at the latest. Major European matches have been played in Zilina due to the absence of a stadium in the capital.
The state has committed itself to completing the construction work and to purchasing the non-commercial part of the stadium. Moreover, the state will provide NFS with a subsidy worth €27.2 million, but this will be deducted from the eventual purchase price that the state will provide to NFS.
