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By:
Florim Malicaj
- December 6, 2020 21:40
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Kosovo continues to remain without a national stadium, while currently there is only one football arena that meets international criteria, the "Fadil Vokrri" stadium in Pristina.
It has been almost seven years since the first decision of the Government of Kosovo to start the construction of the national stadium. Since the initial decision, four Prime Ministers of Kosovo and five Ministers of Sports have changed, but the football arena has remained only on paper and the foundation stone has not yet been laid. Even the beginning of the works is not in sight.
Initially, it was decided that the giant stadium would be built in Bërnica, Pristina, and then the location was changed and moved to Korrotica, Drenas. All this seemed like a "war" between two political parties, the Democratic Party of Kosovo and the Democratic League of Kosovo. This game continues even today. There is still no decision to start the construction of the modern plant.
The only thing that has been done so far is the project that includes the feasibility study, which has cost the state 1 million and 440 thousand euros. The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports says that there is still no new decision regarding the stadium and the change of location. The acting secretary of the MKRS, Ibër Alaj, who has been the director of the Sports Department for a decade, said that the pandemic and the lack of financial resources have prevented them from starting the procedures.
"Gurthemeli cannot be established until we have a contract and until the budget is secured. As for the location, Kosovo is small and all the lands or properties that are in the Republic of Kosovo are ours, they belong to the citizens of Kosovo. For us it is important to build the national stadium. The state has money, but it doesn't have enough money to start a big project with a financial value of over 60 million euros within a year, since the budget is not guaranteed", stated Alaj.
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He adds that an assessment will also be made. According to Alaj, the decision is in force and there is no new decision to change the location. Alaj stressed that politics should not have interfered in this project at all.
"It is the decision in force, it is the feasibility study and until another decision we cannot discuss the decisions taken by the Government of Kosovo. Politics should not have entered here, in the professional aspect of the evaluations and situations that develop sport", Alaj said.
The expert on political issues in the country, Imer Mushkolaj, declared for "KOHĆ" that political parties put their hands in every sphere of life in Kosovo.
He is also not surprised by the use of the stadium for political purposes, namely the ideas to change the location again just to secure more votes.
"Depending on who has come to power, he has used the stadium issue for his own interests, respectively as a kind of magnet to collect votes, starting from the idea that the stadium should be located near Pristina, in Bërnica, and that conditionally speaking the votes they could go more to the LDK, taking into account the positioning of its sympathizers. And until the relocation to the vicinity of Drenas, and logically the votes would go to the PDK, taking into account that he territory supports the Democratic Party of Kosovo more," said Mushkolaj.
He emphasizes that everything done by Kosovar political parties is only for their financial interests. According to Mushkolaj, the FFK is also to blame for the political interference in the Representative of Kosovo. There have been cases when the Representative has been exploited by certain politicians.
"Politics rarely interferes in sports in matters that are not related to money, not related to millions, but it turns attention, surprisingly, only when the focus is on money, financial means, and so it happened with the stadium. Politics is merciless when it comes to using sport for votes, but it is not only the fault of politics. In the first place, it is also the fault of the leaders of the sports of Kosovo, really if we talk about football, of the Football Federation of Kosovo, because that no politician, no party leader should be allowed to use the boys of Kosovo for personal promotions", emphasized Mushkolaj.
"KOHA" has also tried to get a position from the former Ministers of Sports, Kujtim Shala of the LDK and Kujtim Gashi of the PDK, during whose time the location changes were made, but none of them were ready to speak.
Meanwhile, the current Minister of Sports, Vlora Dumoshi, said some time ago that the stadium could cost the state 60 to 70 million euros, but she did not specify when its construction could start.
The Secretary of the Football Federation of Kosovo, Eroll Salihu, admits that the FFK has never been asked about the country, except for some recommendations he has given.
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"The role of the Football Federation of Kosovo has been more of an observer, simple. We have shown them what criteria must be met, but since the Federation does not have the means to invest, it has not been asked in the formal legal aspect. The national stadium will first would be phenomenal for the image of the state and would be a solution for the next 15 years", declared Saihu.
Secretary Salihu says that the reason for the intervention of politicians, UEFA and FIFA has reprimanded FFK.
"From now on, UEFA and FIFA have warned us that there will be interference. From now on, everyone must slowly understand that interference in football leaves irreparable consequences in the international community. This is what the ambassadors of the countries of the big ones, from Britain, Germany, Switzerland, etc.," said Salihu.
The first to make a decision for the national stadium was former Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi.
At the executive meeting, on March 18, 2014, it was decided that the stadium would be built in Pristina, without mentioning the place, which was later revealed to be Bërnica. At that time the Minister of Sports was Memli Krasniqi. Thaçi even told how many seats the stadium will have.
"I invite the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Memli Krasniq, and the Minister of Finance, Besim Beqaj, to immediately start the procedures so that the project for the construction of a new and modern stadium in Kosovo, the National Stadium of Kosovo, according to the highest international standards. The National Stadium of Kosovo will have 25 to 30 thousand seats and will be built in Pristina", Thaçi said on March 18, 2014.
This decision remained on paper for three years and with the change of power, when Ramush Haradinaj was elected prime minister, but since Hashim Thaçi's former party was also in the coalition, on December 4, 2017, the Government took a new decision where the stadium was moved to the area economic in Korrotica of Drenas. The proposal of the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports at that time, Kujtim Gashi, passed and then the procedures began.
The winner of the project was also announced, which was the company from Turkey "Tabanloglu", which received 1 million and 440 thousand euros for the project, for which it also carried out the feasibility study.
This company had problems with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports regarding the signed contract, where MKRS had taken over the taxes, violating the laws in Kosovo. As a result, the company from Turkey did not pay a single cent of tax in Kosovo from the amount that was specified in the contract.
The mistake that was made in the contract, as they said in the Ministry of Sports, damaged the state budget for about 150 thousand euros, including the enforcement expenses, since the last part was paid through the bailiff.
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There is currently little talk about the stadium, to say the least. The matches are being played without spectators, including those of Kosovo. But, if the pandemic ends quickly and Kosovo returns to good results, then the "Fadil Vokrri" stadium will again be small enough to accommodate all those interested. And the national stadium will again be used for political purposes. Meanwhile, the moment when Kosovo will play in the long-proclaimed stadium seems very distant.
