By Jaroslaw Adamowski
March 31 – AEK’s plan to build a new €65 million stadium has obtained the backing of Greece’s Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Change Yiannis Maniatis who signed a project proposal intended for the Greek parliament. The document needs a total of four ministerial signatures to be submitted, and the country’s interior minister, culture minister and finance minister have already promised to ink the proposal.
The Athens-based club hopes that a new facility will support its efforts to return to the top tier of Greece’s professional football league. AEK currently plays in the Football League 2, the third tier to which the club was relegated from the Superleague due to its continuing financial woes.
Once the bill is approved by the Greek parliament, the club will be able to launch the investment with the use of state and European Union funds. The project is designed to be completed by 2015..
The Agia Sophia stadium will be developed in the Nea Filadelfeia area of the Greek capital. The new facility is to have a designed capacity of between 32,000 and 34,000 seats, according to the plans released by AEK.
The club has called on its fans to support the project through contributions made to Dikefalos 1924, a company set up last year to implement the investment.
AEK has a distinguished history having won 11 Greek championship, 14 Cups of Greece and three Super Cups of Greece.
The club, which declared bankruptcy last year and was reported to owe €170 million in taxes, is rebuilding under new owner Dimitris Melissanidis, who previously served twice as president of AEK between 1992 and 1995. AEK is the third largest club in terms of support in Greece
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