The Victoria Stadium, the stadium with which Gibraltar deceived UEFA, shows no signs of renovation. OKDIARIO was present in its surroundings and inside, and was able to verify that it is still in the same state as a few years ago, when a renovation was promised to transform it into a super stadium of a capacity of 8,000 spectators.
OKDIARIO was present in the Victoria Stadium to verify that the Gibraltar Football Association (GFA) has not yet carried out the reform he had promised to the UEFA to allow its national team to play on its territory.
This newspaper was able to explore the exteriors and interiors of the football field without any problem. Gibraltarlocated a few meters from the border with Spain. In fact, from the Balompédica stadium in La Línea de la Concepción to the Victoria Stadiumit only takes 19 minutes to walk. And he was able to verify that this reform has not been carried out.
And that’s it Gibraltar promised to UEFA that it would build a stadium meeting the requirements to be able to play on its territory. And while keeping that promise, he played for Victoria and now he plays for Europa Point. In the meantime he was exiled to Faro. But this reform is not implemented. Victoria remains the same. And some training and matches of teams from the British colony continue to take place.
The promises of Gibraltar
On September 8, 2023, the Gibraltar Football Association published a news story on its official channels titled as follows: “Significant progress is being made in the development of our new national football stadium.”
THE GFA He noted in the statement that they had “made significant progress in the development of this innovative new football stadium, with separate residential and commercial spaces, which will redefine the future of Gibraltar football as well as its skyline.”
“For the first time in Gibraltara consortium of local commercial banks have come together to confirm that there is interest in agreeing the terms of a deal they would enter into with a GFA subsidiary, Stadium Development Limited, to finance the project. “Stadium Development Limited would act as the developer of the project and the sale of the residential and commercial elements would cover the cost of the stadium,” the company said. Gibraltar Football Association.
“Gibraltar Football Stadium is set to undergo a transformative renovation which promises state-of-the-art football facilities, fit for both local pride and global prowess. “This project, a beacon of unity and success, will bear witness to the close-knit and dynamic community of Gibraltar,” commented one of them. GFA convinced to carry out this project.
Michael LamasPresident of the GFA, said: “The GFA looks forward to the completion of these facilities so that we can finally host important UEFA and FIFA matches in a world-class, Category 4 stadium. UEFA, which meets the standards, right here in Gibraltar. This dream, which has been brewing since we became full members of UEFA, is becoming a reality. “This project will consolidate our status as a football nation. “
The reality is that more than a year after these declarations, the Victoria Stadium It does not present any change compared to before the presentation of this project. No one supported the GFA in this project, which greatly angered the citizens of Gibraltar, as they saw it as unnecessary. THE UEFA he believed it and Gibraltar continues without realizing it as he now plays his matches at Europa Point, another ground which does not meet the requirements previously demanded by the club itself. UEFA.
