Feyenoord scraps plans for new stadium
Football club Feyenoord abandoned plans for constructing Feyenoord City, which included a controversial new stadium, Rijnmond reported.
Feyenoord concluded it would be wise to proceed after construction company BAM announced changes to the conditions, including a steep rise in the price. There was also no guarantee that the costs would not rise further than the new estimations.
Supporters of the stadium said the football club needed to progress. Yet, many Feyenoord fans opposed the stadium because it would lack the atmosphere of the current stadium, De Kuip, and cost the club too much money. The stadium was known jokingly among people against the plan as "Feyenoord Shitty."
"Certainly, the current stadium will also cost Feyenoord money. Although it will cost the club less, it is also around several million euros," Feyenoord watch Dennis van Eersel told Rijnmond.
The plans for Feyenoord city had been ongoing for more than ten years as part of more extensive development plans for Rotterdam Zuid. The municipality of Rotterdam had initially intended to contribute around 40 million euros to the Feyenoord City project. The total costs of the project were originally estimated at 444 million euros. Feyenoord said they would be unable to move forward should the costs increase.
Feyenoord has not yet officially released a statement that the construction plans for the stadium have been stopped. All parties involved will hold talks in the upcoming week.