Croatia's stadium infrastructure does not go hand in hand with the quality of football that sets it apart from other Balkan nations. That is about to change, however, and the Croatians will start with the capital, Zagreb. There are plans to expand two stadiums, and local Dinamo is expected to play at both in the future.

Expansion of temporary stadium for Dinamo

In a little less than a year, work should begin on the reconstruction of the stadium, whose capacity will be increased to 12,000 from the current 8,850. However, there are currently only 3,850 seats at the facility. The expanded Stadion NK Zagreb will be completely covered, in the English style, which means that the stands will be lowered all the way to the pitch, giving the modern arena on Kranjčevićev Street, which is expected to be ready in the spring of 2025, a heated atmosphere.

The western stand will be rebuilt, the eastern, northern and southern stands will be modernized. It will be a city stadium that will be used by several clubs. When we expand the capacity, it will meet UEFA's fourth category, meaning it will be able to play all the clubs' international matches, including the Champions League. The Croatian national team will also be able to play matches in this stadium - explained the Zagreb mayor. In recent years and even decades, most of the talk in Croatia has been about the facility where Dinamo plays - Maksimir Stadium. As it turns out, however, the redevelopment of Zagreb's less intimate arena is linked to the future of the capital club.

© Grad Zagreb

Stadium for Dinamo permanently

The idea is to move Dinamo here, and in the meantime demolish the Maksimir stadium and build a new one. We have been in talks with Dinamo and the government for some time, negotiations on property and legal issues are in the final stages. The reconstruction of the stadium on Kranjčevićeva is part of the plan to build a stadium in Maksimir, because Dinamo has to play somewhere while their stadium is being built - the mayor further explains.

The main topic of the recent reports, however, was the stadium on Kranjčevićeva Street. Virtually everything will be removed from the plot, with the exception of the west stand. Kranjčevićeva Street will also receive a triangular square, which will include both greenery and water, and a parking lot will be built on the eastern side, which will also be a field when matches are not being played. There will be a solar power plant on the roof. At the edge of the south stand will be a row of flower pots into which rainwater will flow from the roof. So, it promises to be an original green stadium.

Mayor Tomašević makes the matter of the stadium future of the capital club clear: We, as well as Dinamo and the fans, want the team to remain at Maksimir, we are cutting off this topic. We will certainly not build a stadium elsewhere. The stadium is one of the ugliest in Europe, and we are not going to repeat the same mistake as the former mayor and spend money on a new renovation. The Kranjčevićeva stadium is the first step towards building Maksimir, and we hope that UEFA will fund part of it. By the end of my term there will definitely be an agreement, we wouldn't be doing this if we weren't convinced of the history around Maksimir.

© Grad Zagreb

© Grad Zagreb