“Bahia, Bahia, Bahia”: this battle cry, which has recently been stuck in the throats of many supporters of the Bahia tricolor, may once again be heard on the stands of the future Fonte Nova Arena. A Declaration of Agreement was signed this Tuesday (5) between Marcelo Guimarães Filho, president of Esporte Clube Bahia, and Dênio Cidreira, President of Fonte Nova Participações (FNP).
The document also sets criteria to make sure that the club has the right to play at the Fonte Nova, for matches held in Salvador.
“The Fonte Nova stadium has always been very special for EC Bahia. The team has always played well at the stadium, which was also the venue of our greatest victories and our most significant championships. Indeed, our whole history is closely linked to the Fonte Nova”, said the President of EC Bahia, Marcelo Guimarães Filho.
“Our expectation at this moment is that of taking families, including children, to the Arena. This, of course, in addition to the supporters’ groups, who put on a show of their own”, said Dênio Cideira, the President of FNP, a consortium consisting of the building firms, OAS and Odebrecht. The companies shall invest the sum of R$ 1.6 billion (€ 672.58 million) to reconstruct the Fonte Nova Stadium, in a business model that also involves the management and maintenance of the Bahia stadium for 35 years.
PLEASE CHECK OUT THE PHOTO GALLERY OF THE FUTURE ARENA FONTE NOVA
Participation of EC Vitória
The FNP is now trying to attract Esporte Clube Vitória into the partnership. For the local World Cup manager, Ney Campello, the participation of Bahia’s two great clubs in the agreement may hoist Bahian football to new heights. Thus, the Fonte Nova seeks to follow the example of the stadium in Munich, in Germany, and also that of Milan, in Italy, where two teams share the same playing venue.
On match days, depending on which team is officially the home team, the lighting system shall vary the colors, with red and blue, in the case of EC Bahia, or red and black, in the case of EC Vitória.
Economic Feasibility
For the Secretary for Sports, Nilton Vasconcelos, the hosting of the games of EC Bahia and EC Vitória in the new stadium is essential to make the Arena Fonte Nova feasible. If this does indeed occur, there shall be 56 games played each year in this stadium.
“Contracts like this one shall be signed by the FNP to give economic sustainability to the equipment and also to avoid the State Government having to add resources for counterpayment of the services”, said Mr. Vasconcelos.
A study carried out by consultancy firm KPMG Structured has shown that, for the Fonte Nova not to become a white elephant, the stadium needs to attract the matches of the two main clubs in Bahia state, but also be home to other large events.
highlights
04/05 | News
