The municipality of Rahovec plans to convert the football stadium into a promenade

A few meters separate the "Mizahir Isma" gym from the city stadium in Rahovec. The Rahovec stadium field can only be seen from the gym plateau. From the lower part, the view of the field is obstructed by the high walls surrounding the stadium, which for a short period is expected to be a square. The municipality of Rahovec plans to turn the stadium into a promenade. The work on the realization of the project to become a square has already started.

"In one form, the relocation takes place, since the Municipality of Rahovec will have the stadium, KF Rahovec will have its own stadium", says Afrim Dina, the director for Culture, Youth and Sports in the Municipality of Rahovec.

The doors of the facility were closed during KOHA's visit to the city stadium on Wednesday.

Rahovec football club has left the stadium to train in Malishevë. In the stadium of Malisheva, KF Rahoveci has also organized matches of this edition.

"It is also a positive side of the square, because the city also needs a square, but sports also need a stadium. We hope that the work on the construction of the complex will be accelerated, as the club needs to develop its activity", says Alfred Cena, secretary of the Rahoveci football club.

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Rahovec conducts competitions in Group A of the First League. It is in seventh place with 17 points.

Director Afrim Dina insists that KF Rahoveci will soon have the new stadium. But he also says that the residents of Rahovec need a square.

"It is a good thing that now the Municipality of Rahovec will have a square as it deserves. The works have already started there, and with the part where the square is planned, the part of the stadium in the central square is also included. The square is an extremely large project and will serve extremely many citizens of our municipality", said Dina.

Still no location for the new stadium

Director Dina does not know exactly in which year the city's stadium was built. He says it is claimed to have been built in 1974. The club has a longer history. It is 43 years older than the stadium.

Dina says that Rahoveci will have a modern stadium.

"Even now we believe that it will be an extremely good stadium in a good spectator capacity. I believe and our request is to be the largest space, to have 8000, 9000 or 10 viewers, so that qualifying competitions for the Champions League and so on can take place", said Afrim Dina.

He says that for the first phase of the construction of the new stadium, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MKRS) has allocated 100 thousand euros, while they are waiting for the finalization of the documentation for the new location.

The new stadium is expected to cost millions of euros. It is not known when the works will start and also where the works will start.

"We are in talks with a company which has expressed willingness to share as a donation the plot for the stadium of the city of Rahovec. The space will be 3.5 hectares", said Dina.

He says the plot is agricultural. And in order to carry out works, permission from the Government is required.

"In the Assembly, we received the approval for the development plan, but we are waiting for the decision or approval of the Government, or the relevant ministry, which sends us back for the development plan in order to continue with the other procedures, i.e. the transfer of the property as municipal property. That part of the plot is agricultural and should be converted into a development property", said Dina.

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KF Rahoveci are skeptical that the new stadium will be built quickly

The project for the construction of the new stadium was started in 2019. The documentation was also done. According to Dina, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the Municipality of Rahovec and MKRS. This Memorandum also included the construction of a gym in Krushë e Madhe and a field in Ratkoc.

"But that memorandum has not been operationalized and in 2022 the budget code for the construction of these three projects was also removed. In 2024, the code was returned and the budget was divided. In 2019, all projects were developed and it is planned to be of the second category", said Dina.

In addition to the first team, the Rahovec club also has young age groups. In the club they say that there are over 200 active footballers. The club also has a veteran team that also participates in the activity.

The secretary of the club, Alfred Cena, doubts that the footballers will soon enjoy the new stadium. As an example, take the completion of the works at the gym in Rahovec.

Work on the construction of the gym had started 16 years before the sports facility was opened for the residents of Rahovec.

Not even six full years have passed since the opening of the gym, it has started to suffer. The roof of the gym, which cost the state 3 million euros, has been damaged.

"Unfortunately, as a city, we have a bitter experience with the gym that started to be built and ended after ten years. This is what shows skepticism and fear. The hope and will is to build it as soon as possible, but we have no official confirmation either for the plot or for the construction of the stadium, even though we have heard that the budget has been allocated, but the procedures are ongoing. But there is skepticism about the construction of the new stadium," said Cena.

The stadium is expected to be closed for a period for the new generations and the first team of KF Rahovec.

In the club they say that the field cannot withstand the rain during the months of November, December, January, February and March.

"The municipality and the FFK tried to fix the drainage, but it was difficult and we were forced to play the matches outside the city, and this caused problems both financially and physically for the players, coaches and the leadership of the club" , Cena said.

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Even without this stadium with 100 problems, the people of Rahovec are expected to leave soon.

KF Rahoveci is not the only club with infrastructure problems. Even many Superliga clubs do not have good conditions for training and football matches.