Slovak government canceled the subsidy for the national football stadium

Bratislava - The Slovak government will not pay for the construction of a new national football stadium, which was set to be built on the site of the current Tehelné pole in Bratislava. The government of Prime Minister Iveta Radičová today canceled the resolution of the previous cabinet of Robert Fico, which allocated 69.12 million euros (about 1.7 billion crowns) for the stadium's construction.
    The stadium was to be built by the capital city, with the state promising a subsidy. However, the contract between Bratislava and the Ministry of Education for the provision of the subsidy has not yet been concluded, as the municipal authority has not obtained the right to demolish the old Slovan stadium. Tehelné pole is currently unused, and Slovan plays its home matches in the neighboring Pasienky.
    Demolition of Tehelné pole was supposed to begin this spring, with the completion of the new stadium planned for 2012. Initially, private investors were to construct the stadium. The media reported some time ago that the owner of Slovan, Ivan Kmotrík, also wants to undertake the construction of the new stadium on the site of the current Tehelné pole.
    Fico's cabinet wanted to support the economy and employment during the economic crisis through the investment in the stadium. However, the current center-right government has decided to cut state spending and slow down Slovakia's debt growth.
    The new head of the Slovak Football Association, Ján Kováčik, stated upon taking office that a smaller stadium would be sufficient in Bratislava. It was originally considered that the national stadium should have a capacity of about 22,000 spectators.
    Currently, Slovakia does not have any football stadium that meets strict international criteria. The national team plays home matches in Pasienky, but also in other Slovak cities. Most recently, the national team played against Ireland in Žilina on Tuesday.