By David Gold
June 1 – Olympique Lyonnais have finally been given the all clear to begin the process of building their new stadium, the Stade des Lumiéres, which is to host games during the 2016 European Championships.
The club had been waiting for a declaration of general interest to be published by the Government, which was finally forthcoming after a stand-off with the Mayor of Lyon, Gérard Collomb.
Collomb had refused to allow a series of public hearings to take place, which are essential before any construction work can begin on the stadium, because of the Government’s failure to publish the declaration.
“It’s good news that it’s finally published, which gives us the opportunity to progress with the inquiries,” explained Collomb.
As long as everything goes according to schedule, a permit for construction should be given by the end of the autumn, allowing work to begin on the new ground at the end of 2011 or start of 2012.
Jean Michel-Aulas, chairman of Olympique Lyonnais, has said that the stadium will be built entirely with private funds, which could be up to €450 million (£392 million/$615 million).
The news caps a good few days for Olympique Lyonnais, who qualified for the Champions League on Sunday after finishing third in Ligue 1, but Aulas is expected to fire coach Claude Puel after a third year without a trophy for the club.
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