October 10 – Bulgaria’s CSKA Sofia has received the long-awaited local authority permits to begin construction of its new stadium. The new facility will be built on the site of the current Bulgarian Army stadium, which is located in one of the largest parks in the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia.
CSKA’s new stadium will have a capacity of 16,000 seats and will take one and a half years to build. While the construction works are ongoing, CSKA will play at the Vasil Levski national stadium, which is located 100 meters from the Bulgarian Army Stadium in Borisova Garden Park.
The building permit is expected to come into effect within a few days, after which the club will announce its detailed plans and concrete steps to begin the project.
In April of this year, CSKA announced that the financing for the construction would be provided by club owner Grisha Ganchev. The cost of the project is estimated at nearly BGN 90 million (€45 million).
The club, addressing its fans as ‘Army men’, said in a statement: “Remember this day. The day we fought for our dream, for our home. Years passed, during which we hoped and believed, we were disappointed, we felt lied to, we were helpless, but we did not give up. After every blow we got up and found a solution. We endured a lot, but we were together and we didn’t give up. We didn’t let our dream fade for a moment. On the contrary – after every “no” our ambition grew, after every “yes” our faith overflowed. We knew that sooner or later we would also achieve this greatest goal of ours. Now that moment has arrived. We received the coveted document. We were given the opportunity to build our new state-of-the-art stadium ourselves.”
Referencing considerable sceptisim towards the stadium plan, the club said: “We also thank those of you who did not stop believing in our intentions, who supported us and did not add fuel to the already raging fire. And to those who did not believe until the end, those who provoked and undermined, we want to say one thing – love will always be the stronger driving force. And sincere love for CSKA prevails over everything.”
Contact the writer of this story, Aleksander Krassimirov, at moc.l1732414059labto1732414059ofdlr1732414059owedi1732414059sni@o1732414059fni1732414059