The mayor of Ostrava prefers the construction of a new stadium in Svinov

Ostrava - The Mayor of Ostrava, Petr Kajnar (ČSSD), currently prefers the construction of an entirely new stadium for the football club Baník Ostrava in the district of Svinov. It should have a capacity of 22,000 spectators, with the possibility of expanding it to 30,000 in the future for the potential hosting of the European Championship in the Czech Republic. This option seems more advantageous to the mayor than renovating the current city stadium in Vítkovice. He added that the final variant must be decided by the city council, likely in May.
    "I expect that if it is decided to host the Euro, the state would contribute to the construction," the mayor said today at a press conference.
    The construction of the stadium in Svinov for 22,000 people is estimated to cost 1.5 billion crowns, and for 30,000, the construction would be 250 million more expensive. The renovation of the current city stadium in Vítkovice to a capacity of 22,000 would cost 1.95 billion crowns.
    The new stadium is also preferred by the football club. According to Kajnar, its owner, Tomáš Petera, approached the councilors with an offer. "Petera told us that he would cover the operating costs of the new stadium himself. Moreover, if the stadium is built in Svinov, the joint-stock company Bazaly would give the city 20 percent of the sale of the Bazaly stadium," Kajnar stated. The joint-stock company Bazaly belongs to the club.
    The mayor justifies the choice of constructing a stadium with a lower capacity by the current financial situation. "Building a stadium for 30,000 spectators when the city is not in good financial condition is a problem," Kajnar noted. Although he believes it would be advantageous, as the stadium with a capacity of 30,000 could host international matches of the Czech national team or concerts by international stars.
    Renovating and expanding the stadium in Vítkovice for 30,000 people is, according to the mayor, problematic due to the acquisition of land. "If we renovated the stadium in Vítkovice to 20,000, we could never extend it to 30,000," Kajnar stated. The city council will discuss the individual options at its working meeting on May 5.
    The owner of Baník, Petera, also presented a variant to the councilors that he would temporarily build a heated grass pitch at Bazaly until the new stadium is completed. "He said he would rather invest in some cheap option for constructing a heated pitch directly at Bazaly, which would last for two years. After 2012, Baník will not be able to play at Bazaly because strict conditions for stadiums will start to apply. Bazaly cannot be modernized and turned into a stadium that would meet these conditions," the mayor declared.