As reported earlier by LSM, the large plot of land in Lucavsala is transferred for use to the Latvian Football Federation until the moment when the immovable property is necessary for the local government to ensure its functions, but not longer than five years. Within five years, the Football Federation must develop stadium construction documentation.
The end of the project is planned in 2027 at the earliest.
Based on the latest published calculations, the implementation of the national football stadium project could cost approximately EUR 44 million, LFF President Vadims Lašenko previously told the Saeima Education, Culture and Science Commission's sports Sub-Commission. Of that amount, 12 million, or just over a quarter, would be covered by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).
Additional funding from other sources is needed,
Tenants of garden areas oppose the construction of a stadium in Lucavsala.
Aleksejs Čiževskis, representative of the association "Daugavkrasti Gardens", said in a conversation with Latvian Radio that he believes many other places are more suitable for the stadium. Čiževskis is convinced that Daugava Stadium is good enough to play football, too.
"Latvia has a fourth-category UEFA field and it is the Daugava Stadium. The only issue is [athletics] runways -- spectators sit far and there is no roof over their heads," Čiževskis said. "The question is whether we are really prepared to invest tens of millions [of euros] just for viewers to sit under the roof. We build a roof at Daugava Stadium and live happily."
Tenants of gardens had gathered outside Riga City Council on Wednesday to protest.
Councillors debated for nearly three hours. However, the decision has been taken - Lucavsala land of 10 hectares will be transferred to the Latvian Football Federation for free use for five years.
The visualization, made by Fiebiger GMBH, the German architecture bureau recommended by UEFA and FIFA, predicts that the total area of the multi-functional sports complex project could be less than 119,000 square meters, of which the stadium would cover just over 66,000 square meters.
According to LFF estimates, at least 40,000 more tourists would visit Latvia each year, bringing an additional EUR 35 million to Latvia's economy each year. The stadium could host more than 35 football matches at the international level each year, as well as concerts or other types of events.
