The first step to constructing a new stadium in the Kantrida neighborhood of Rijeka was made in Dubrovnik.
The first step towards the construction of a new stadium in Kantrida was made on Friday in Dubrovnik at the 9th summit of Central and Eastern European Countries & China, reports Gol.hr on April 12, 2019.
President and owner of Rijeka, Damir Mišković, signed a memorandum with Chinese investors, expressing the intention to cooperate, while concrete construction contracts are yet to be signed. Mišković signed a memorandum with representatives of the Top International Engineering Corporation.
If a contract is ultimately signed and the construction begins, a new stadium with a capacity of about 15,000 seats should be erected at the site where Kantrida stands today. It would be a multifunctional building as a hotel and shopping center would also be part of the stadium.
“These are all infrastructure projects. I believe that the memorandum signed today will be translated into specific contracts. This is about Chinese financial institutions entering Croatia for those projects that cannot receive EU money at this time,” said Economy Minister Darko Horvat.
“In a year, we should also sign a contract on the realization of a project for the construction of a football stadium according to UEFA standards, a hotel, and a business center in Rijeka, and the cooperation may extend to the construction of a marina,” said General Manager of Kantrida Stadium Luka Ivančić.
This is already the fourth season since Rijeka moved from Kantrida to Rujevica, where the company Social Sport built a stadium and camp.
Official Announcement of HNK Rijeka:
"A Memorandum of Understanding was signed on the project to build a future stadium complex at Kantrida between the representatives of companies Stadion Kantrida d.o.o. and the representative of the Chinese TIEC (Top International Engineering Corporation).
The memorandum was signed as part of the meeting of the highest Chinese political officials and businesspeople and their colleagues from 16 countries in Central and Eastern Europe.
The text of the Memorandum of Understanding usually contains a description of the agreement between the two business parties, and in this particular case, interest has been expressed for cooperation on the construction project of the Kantrida stadium complex.
TIEC is a corporation that employs more than 20,000 people and is involved in investment projects and construction, and in addition to China, it also operates in the international market.
The corporation has operated since 1950 and has built roads, airports, hospitals, buildings and more in countries around the world, and they also built a national stadium in Cape Verde. They received numerous professional awards for their works.
The City of Rijeka, as co-owner of HNK Rijeka and the owner of the field, has also been involved in talks with a Chinese partner since the very beginning. Representatives of Stadion Kantrida d.o.o. and HNK Rijeka presented the Kantrida Stadium Complex project to many potential investors, with two Chinese and one German-Swiss corporation showing the most significant interest.
TIEC was the most concrete and we are pleased to note that a formal-legal foundation for the construction of the anticipated stadium in Kantrida has been set.''
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