TIRANA, May 3 – The construction of a new national stadium in Tirana has sparked a public debate verging on a Hamletian dilemma: should the new football arena be built with a tower or without a tower? While the government presented the project with much fanfare claiming it will not cost the public a single cent thanks to a public-private partnership, opposition to the project has been loud. A declaration by Italian architect Paolo di Nardo against the proposed project received particular attention by the media. “I will chain myself up in Tirana, in order for the stadium Arena Kombà«tare (National Arena) not to be built,” the architect said in a television studio. The well-known Italian architect visited Tirana this week to meet with civil society representatives opposing the project. Di Nardo said that the new stadium should not be built there and that the old one designed by Gherardo Bosio before the start of World War II should be preserved instead. However, the old stadium has lost its status as a protected monument since last December following a government decision, which paves the way to its demolition and the construction of a new one.
The stadium’s tower wasn’t welcomed by the opposition Democratic Party either, which in a press conference expressed its objection not against the stadium itself, but against its proposed tower. “We are dealing with a financial affair here and not a sports arena. Amidst total lack of transparency and public consultation, the Prime Minister has turned the project into a fait accompli so that he and his circle can lay their hands on the most expensive real estate in Tirana,” the DP said in a declaration for the media. The opposition has vowed it will not recognize the project once it returns to power.
The stadium sparked yet another controversy after the Republican Guard stopped journalists and civil society representatives from attending a public hearing regarding the construction of the new stadium. Rama claimed they had no invitations for being part of the discussion. On the other hand, Prime Minister Edi Rama has strongly defended the project including its controversial tall structure and has assumed full responsibility for the project. The government has presented the new stadium as a good example of the publicprivate partnership, placing emphasis on the fact that the new project will not be a burden to the state budget.
Rama responded to critics by posting a picture of the dilapidated stadium Qemal Stafa alongside the status: “This is the historical monument opponents of the Arena Kombà«tare project are trying to defend” . The new €50 million stadium will be constructed by Albanian company Albstar, which was the sole bidder in a tender held in late February. The company is said to fund the project itself in return for being able to use part of the premises for commercial purposes. The project has been designed by Italian architect Mario Casamonti, who recently has worked on the new stadium of Udine in Italy.
