Millions spent on stadiums miss their mark

A new football stadium is expected to be completed in Košice in 2019 thanks to a state subsidy. But the local club has collapsed, and it is unclear who will actually play there.

Millions spent on stadiums miss their mark
Košice once had two symbols: St. Elizabeth Cathedral and the football club VSS. Košice footballers were among the top teams in the Czechoslovak first league. They won two championships, were the first Slovak club to play in the Champions League group stage, and won the Czechoslovak Cup in 1993. Today, FC VSS Košice is struggling to survive. The club has long faced financial problems and was once relegated for failing to meet its obligations. Although it earned promotion back to the top league this season, the players will not compete there. Shortly before submitting the official application, club president Blažej Podolák announced that the club was shutting down.

"The club’s management confirmed that it did not submit an application to any Slovak league for either the senior or youth teams. FC VSS Košice will therefore cease to exist," the club stated on its official website. Although an application to join the top league did eventually arrive at the last minute, the League Union rejected it.

Despite the club’s problems, construction of a new stadium recently began in Košice, originally intended to be used by VSS. The funding includes money from the Education Ministry’s football infrastructure development program. The second Fico government surprisingly approved 45 million euros in February 2013 for stadium repairs and construction. That support is being distributed among 23 clubs, with the ministry allocating 4.5 million euros per year over ten years.

Even though VSS had persistent financial issues, Košice still received a four-million-euro subsidy for its new stadium. The city and the club formed a joint-stock company, Košická futbalová aréna, with the city owning 85 percent of shares and the club holding the rest. "The city of Košice handed over the construction site on May 30, so the first phase is already underway," said Radoslav Jenčuš, assistant to Košice mayor Richard Raši of the Smer party. A public tender is underway to choose the construction company, with completion expected in 2019. Total costs are estimated at 18.5 million euros. In addition to the four-million-euro subsidy, the city also received an interest-free loan of eight million euros from the Finance Ministry. The VSS club, for which the stadium was intended, now practically no longer exists.

"We're not building the stadium for just one club. The stadium complex and training facilities will primarily serve to develop young football talent," Jenčuš said, adding that the national team will once again be able to play in Košice.

Four national team stadiums
The national team can already play in Trnava and Žilina, and a modern stadium is under construction in Bratislava. Sports analyst and football manager Jozef Tokos believes the focus should be on whether the money is being spent effectively. "The national football stadium is a separate project, and now we must ask whether so many such stadiums are actually needed," he said. The Slovak national team plays only about three to four home games per year. "The added value of a new stadium that meets international match standards will naturally be low," analyst Radovan Ďurana said earlier about the Bratislava stadium. The new Košice stadium will be the fourth in Slovakia to meet these standards.

Problems in Myjava
Spartak Myjava, which played in the top league last season, received one million euros from the state budget to build its stadium. But halfway through the season, club officials decided to withdraw from the competition for various reasons. As a result, Myjava now has a renovated stadium but likely no quality team to use it. Of the 45 million euros allocated for stadiums, 22 million went to five clubs owned by influential businessmen. While these stadiums may serve youth national teams, there will likely be around 20 such stadiums across Slovakia thanks to subsidies. Meanwhile, the Myjava club will play in the fourth tier.

"Football in Slovakia is evolving in such a way that if it weren’t for small clubs like ours, there wouldn’t even be a league. All the big ones have long given up and are spending their money on other things instead of taking football seriously," club president Pavel Halabrín said in the winter.

Money for business tycoons
Despite the problems, football professionals generally support the subsidies. "In just four years, some stadiums have been modernized, and I believe more will follow soon," said former footballer and SNS MP Dušan Tittel. He claims the improvements have increased comfort and quality for everyone. Analyst Tokos also agrees with the idea of subsidies but criticized how they were distributed. He said the ministry should have announced a competition to select the teams eligible for funds.

"The Slovak FA project was generally accepted by the public, but the issue was why certain stadiums were chosen. For example, why Dunajská Streda?" Tokos asked. That club, DAC, has already received one million euros for reconstruction, with another nearly 1.5 million scheduled for 2018. The club is owned by businessman and Slovnaft CEO Oszkár Világi. At the opening of the first completed section of the stadium were Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Most-Híd leader Béla Bugár, and businessmen Vladimír Poór and Ivan Kmotrík.

Another 4.5 million euros in subsidies went to MŠK Žilina, owned by entrepreneur Jozef Antošík, who grew wealthy through the privatization of the Žilina paper mills and is now known as the head of the Ryba Žilina company. Milan Fiľo, who made his fortune through the privatization of the Ružomberok paper mills, received one million euros for the stadium in Ružomberok. Three-quarters of a million went to the stadium in Podbrezová, owned by local steelworks boss Vladimír Soták. The highest single share—13 million euros—went to Trnava businessman and former HZDS MP Vladimír Poór, who claims to have known Prime Minister Robert Fico from Smer for at least 15 years. In addition to the new Anton Malatinský stadium, a new shopping center was built on the site. Five clubs owned by oligarchs will receive nearly half of the money allocated for stadium construction and renovation. The funding for the Bratislava stadium will be extra and not come from the football infrastructure development project.

New stadiums stand empty
The government allocated the money based on the assumption that nicer, more modern stadiums would attract more spectators. So far, this hasn’t proven true. For example, in Senica, which now has a new stadium, the average attendance last season was just over one thousand fans per game. The only stadium that consistently attracts crowds is the arena in Dunajská Streda, which sold out twice this year for league matches. Even in traditionally football-loving Trnava, fans are staying away. Spartak general manager Pavel Hoftych admitted in March that the club is operating at a considerable financial loss. To break even, each match would need at least 5,000 spectators, but average attendance this season was under 3,500. According to Tokos, Trnava suffers from internal problems. "Expecting 10,000 fans per match is an illusion. They’re playing poorly compared to their expectations, the club isn’t functioning well, and there are visible internal disputes. Trnava fans see this and don’t come to the stadium," he explained. Government sports envoy, former player, and coach Dušan Galis of Smer agrees that renovating stadiums is not enough. "You can have a gold-plated stadium, but if the football isn’t good, people won’t come."