<p>The new leadership of Hradec wants to cancel the tender for the football stadium.</p>

Hradec Králové - The new leadership of Hradec Králové wants to cancel the competition for the construction of a football arena for 400 million. The cancellation of the tender is to be discussed as an additional agenda item by Hradec Králové city councilors on Monday, November 26. Petr Vinklář, spokesperson for the city hall, stated this today. Since October 30, the city hall has been governed by a coalition of the ANO movement, ODS, and Changes for Hradec. In the previous electoral term, all three parties were in opposition.

The construction of the stadium is to be the largest investment in the city in recent years. The stadium, which has been in preparation for about 15 years, is to be built on the site of an inadequate multi-purpose stadium from 1960.

According to Deputy Mayor for Investments Jiří Bláha (ODS), the cancellation of the competition does not mean that the Hradec Králové stadium will not be built. "The Hradec Králové football stadium is needed, and the city wants to build it," he stated in a statement for ČTK.

Continuing with the tender would allegedly be associated with a number of risks. "We have reasonable doubts about how the documentation has been processed and the competition announced, which could likely bring many complications to the city and the construction itself," Bláha said.

Preparing the project and tender conditions for the new competition could take several months. "We are convinced that in the end, the new football stadium in Hradec Králové will be built even sooner and will cost the city less money than if the original tender continued as planned," Bláha stated.

Bláha's predecessor in the position of investment deputy, Jindřich Vedlich (Decent Politics and Hradec Patriots, formerly TOP 09), described the plan to cancel the tender as a fundamental mistake. "It would nullify hundreds of hours of work by dozens of people. The conditions for the tender and the project documentation are fine and can be followed to build the stadium," Vedlich told ČTK.

The competition for the construction of the new football stadium was announced on October 31, just a day after the inaugural meeting of the city council. The new city leadership thus had no opportunity to influence the competition.

Last week, coalition representatives had not yet talked about canceling the tender. "We are somewhat trapped. Something was set up without our ability to influence it, and now we have to go along with it," Deputy Mayor Věra Pourová (ANO) told ČTK at that time. She added that the construction costs shocked her.

The current competition for the stadium is the second in order. The original tender announced in July was canceled by the city councilors in September due to an error by the tender administrator. They simultaneously decided to announce a new competition. The competition has two rounds. In the current first round, applicants must prove their qualification requirements. Applications must be submitted by December 4. In the second round, applicants are to present their price offers.

The competition is announced for the construction of two stands, a new playing field, parking, and lighting in the shape typical of stadium lollipops. The main western stand is to include facilities for the club, players, journalists, and fans. The northern stand will be behind the goal in the direction from the Orlice. The construction of the remaining two stands should follow later, depending on the city’s financial capabilities. The stadium, designed for 10,000 spectators, is also to serve as a multifunctional arena for cultural events in the open air.