Football in Serbia is experiencing its best time in many years. The national team advanced to next year's World Cup and the domestic league is currently in 12th position in the UEFA ranking. So it seems that now is the best time to start the construction of National Stadium.

Much higher cost than initially planned

There has been talk of the need to build a new home for the Serbian national side for several years. In 2020, a preliminary design concept of the venue was created, the implementation of which has not yet started. Earlier this year, the local media reported that the construction of the facility would cost € 250 million.

These were very early estimates for a 55,000-seat arena. Today, the most likely expense is € 417 million. On the scale of the Serbian economy, this is a huge amount of money that is to be spread over the years 2022 - 2024.

This week, the above-mentioned expenditure was approved in the state budget by the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia. In 2022, the government will spend over € 60 million on the stadium, in 2023 - € 194 million, and finally in 2024 - € 160 million.

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In addition, the state authorities will allocate a further € 80 million to local stadium projects. These are the facilities in Zajecar, Loznica and Leskovac. Overall, Serbia intends to spend € 500 million on football infrastructure over the next 3 years.

When it comes to the cost of building a national stadium (Nacionalni Stadion), many people ask themselves why the construction price tag almost doubled in a year. As emphasized by local politicians, it is not only the cost of the venue, but also the infrastructure necessary for its surroundings.

The location of National Stadium has been selected

The investment will be carried out outside Belgrade, more precisely in the municipality of Surčin, situated right next to the western outskirts of the capital (30 km from the city centre). The selection of this location is not accidental, as the city planners anticipate the expansion of the capital in this direction in the coming years.

Moreover, there is an active airport 5 km away from the future stadium site and the necessary road network to operate the arena is also planned there. There is a lot to do, because at the moment there is practically nothing in the area where the stadium would be located. Therefore, the cost of building the facility will be higher, as it includes many accompanying investments.

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The final spatial development plan for this area has not yet been adopted. For now, there is only a draft of this document that envisages the construction of a ground with a minimum capacity of 52,000, with the option of adding another 8,000 temporary seats.

Still a lot of doubts

So far, no stadium designer has been selected. There are rumours that Fenwick Iribarren architectural studio is among the potential candidates. In this situation, it is difficult to assume that the cost of € 417 million is final. Another problem is the fact that there will be no football club residing at the facility.

This raises concerns about the profitability of the entire project. A good example to follow is PGE Narodowy in Warsaw, which thanks to good management is doing great despite the lack of a permanent resident.

According to the latest plans, Nacionalni Stadion is to be put into operation in 2025. However, this statement should be approached with considerable reserve. The whole process is at a very preliminary stage, and the experience of recent years does not fill the Serbian supporters with optimism. It is also not known whether the construction costs will be fully borne by the state budget.

Author: Tomasz Sobura

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