February 25th, 2022 - Worth 150,000 kuna, the new structure obstructs the view from the first few rows of the stands
A new bench for substitute players was recently installed at the Aldo Drosina stadium in Pula, the home ground of NK Istra. However, it seems that something went awry as the bench was being built, as it now blocks the view of the pitch for some fans, reports Glas Istre.
Namely, the structure is too tall, 46 centimetres to be exact, and it extends 20 centimetres too far into the pitch, partially blocking the view from the stands.
The fans seated closest to the pitch in the west stand can’t properly watch the game anymore. Not to mention that the first few rows, located right behind the new substitutes' bench, are usually reserved for children and people with disabilities.
HNS has reportedly also lodged a complaint, as there are almost 20 metres of the side line not visible to VAR anymore due to faulty construction.
Glas Istre has unofficially learnt that an official letter was sent to the City of Pula by one of the leaders of the Pula SDP and a frequent visitor of Istra matches, Siniša Gordić. He wanted to know who would fix the mistake, at whose expense, and within what period.
His request was forwarded to the city company Pula Sport which is responsible for Pula stadium operations, including management and maintenance. Director of Pula Sport Mario Peruško in turn forwarded the letter to NK Istra 1961, who reportedly participated in the project by financing the bench construction and proposing the dimensions of the structure.
That being said, the procurement of materials, installation of the bench and supervision of works were carried out by Pula Sport, and it’s believed they should be held responsible for the outcome.
The company has admitted that an error had occurred, and announced that they’ll cooperate with the club to ‘find the best solution to the problem’.
