Dutch Experts Set to Build Bulgaria's New National Stadium

Henk Markerink, CEO of famous Dutch stadium Amsterdam ArenA, will launch the construction of a new national stadium in the Bulgarian capital Sofia together with his team of experts, it was announced Wednesday.

Merkerink met with Bulgarian Sports Minister Svilen Neykov, legendary striker from the 90s Hristo Stoichkov, Dutch Ambassador to Bulgaria Karel van Kesteren, as well as the Balkan country's former Foreign Minister (2001-2005), Solomon Passy.

The new stadium will be raised either in Sofia's Vrazhdebna vicinity, near the city's international airport, or in the Bozhurishte Municipality located right outside the Bulgarian capital, Neykov explained Wednesday, as cited by the BGNES news agency.

He added that the new stadium will be used only for football, while the Vasil Levski Stadium, which is located in the very downtown of the congested capital, will host various athletics events.

Each seat at the new stadium will cost between BGN 3 000 and BGN 4 000, which means the whole stadium will cost around BGN 200 M (approximately EUR 102 BGN).

Bulgaria's Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, is very passionate about sports and has pledged to provide further major investments for sports facilities after the new Sports Hall in Sofia. At the end of 2010, he announced he considered building a new national stadium near the Sofia airport.

Recently, the Bulgarian Finance Minister, Simeon Djankov, revealed the Bulgarian government is willing to invest BGN 140 M (nearly EUR 72 M) in a new stadium or in the reconstruction of an old one. He pointed out that investments in sport facilities would "keep people healthy".