Limassol football teams accept smaller capacity stadium

The new Limassol football stadium is being completed as planned, government said on Monday, adding the three Limassol teams are willing to follow new Uefa specifications for wider spacing between seats which will reduce capacity to 10,300 spectators.

The news came after President Nicos Anastasiades chaired a meeting with the chairmen of Limassol football clubs of Apollon, AEL and Aris, at which the general manager of Cyprus sports organisation (KOA) also participated.

During the meeting, the issue concerning the capacity of the new Limassol stadium was discussed, following media reports suggesting it could be reduced by approximately 2,000 seats.

It was confirmed the Kolossi-based stadium is being completed as planned, “without any deviation in terms of area and capacity”, government spokesman Marios Pelekanos said in a written statement after the meeting.

The three clubs expressed their willingness to follow the new non-binding recommendations of Uefa, regarding the issue of safety and comfort of spectators, which de facto leads to a reduction of available seats, Pelakanos wrote.

The initial design provided for 12,600 seats, while the arrangement made “following the teams’ suggestions” will bring the number of seats available to 10,300, he said.

Earlier this month, KOA chairman Andreas Michaelides denied reports that the capacity could be reduced to 9,500 and said that no decision has yet been made on the final number of seats for the Limassol stadium.

At the meeting, a request was also made by Ael for the creation of a training area, Cybc reported.

The stadium, which had previously been estimated to have been finished by summer 2021 at a cost of €28m, is expected to be delivered on August 25, “as planned on the basis of the timetables set”, Pelekanos added.

Meanwhile, late last month, it was announced the construction of the road around the new football stadium will start in February with a total budget of €9.1m.