Representatives of Armada also proposed for the iconic stadium to be made part of the project European Capital of Culture 2020
Stadion Kantrida, the legendary football stadium in Rijeka, has been hosting matches for more than 100 years, becoming a home to HNK Rijeka in the late 40s. Nestled between the sea on one side and a towering cliff on the other, it's often mentioned as one of the most exceptional football stadiums in the world, owing to its unique location and layout.
In 2014, the management of HNK Rijeka announced a plan to demolish the old stadium and build a new one in its place, a state-of-the art sports venue worth some 25 million euro. The club was provided a temporary home ground at the newly-built Rujevica stadium, but the fans haven't allowed for the mythical Kantrida to sink into oblivion. Aside from Armada chanting the name of the iconic venue at every game played in Rijeka and elsewhere, the undying loyalty to Kantrida has now been reinforced with an official initiative.
Armada has made an appeal to HNK Rijeka to allow for some of the games to be played on Kantrida, reports Novi list on April 9, 2018. President of Armada Dejan Božić and his colleagues Denis Povh, Josip Šikić and Josip Križanović released a formal statement calling for the legendary stadium to host an occasional match, allowing football fans in Rijeka to again enjoy the beautiful game in its original ambiance.
Zoran Kurelić Rabko
They also wish to add a humanitarian note to the matches that would be played at the old stadium. "We don't want for Kantrida to host charity games, but official ones whose revenue would in turn be donated to charity", said Povh. Representatives of Armada pointed out the stadium is still undergoing regular maintenance, its pitch being in a better state than half of those hosting the Croatian First League (HNL).
They are also calling for Kantrida to be made part of the project European Capital of Culture 2020, in its current shape. If the venue were to be included in ECC as one of the city's most significant objects of historical and cultural value, Kantrida could host various programmes and attractive friendly matches, both local and international.
