The Serie A team Bologna FC 1909 has put a halt on redecoration plans for their home ground – the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara – in Bologna, Italy – as the top-flight is going through a rough patch.
‘il Resto del Carlino’ stated that the team is presently going through a limbo.
The Bologna Football Club 1909, commonly referred to as Bologna, is an Italian professional football club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna (Italy) that plays in the Serie A, the top flight of Italian football.
The 36,532-capacity Stadio Renato Dall’Ara is a multipurpose stadium in Bologna, Italy. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home of the Bologna FC.
The Bologna FC head honcho Claudio Fenucci stated the above at a presser held recently in Casteldebole. Following the presentations of Simon Sohm (the Swiss professional footballer who plays as a Midfielder for Bologna) and Eivind Helland (a Norwegian football player who plays as a Centre-back for Bologna) the ‘I Rossoblù’ boss discussed various topics related to the team and the future starting with the present and the decisions made during the Winter transfer window and culminating in the highly topical issue of the stadium and the restyling of the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara.
Cost Factor
‘il Resto del Carlino’ quoted Fenucci as stating, “The conditions have changed since 2018. The restyling cost went up from €140 million to €220 million. We were willing to invest – including debt and equity – of €100 million and €40 million from the Municipality.
Now, either we find the other entrepreneurs interested in Bologna (City and Commune in Emilia-Romagna, Italy) becoming an attraction for sports and cultural center or we will need to build a new stadium. However, this is the last resort step we will take because we have no interest in profiting from the stadium’s construction. We can only be a part of the process and participate in whatever exercise makes sense to us because as a club we have already outlined the payment flows for the stadium operation which can then be recovered from the proceeds. We are open to speaking with anyone, institutions or the private individuals, who could intervene when a solution is placed before us. In any case, we are looking for a quick turnaround, not the long timeframe which is staring us in the face right now. We agree with the Municipality in this regard.”
Added Fenucci, “As for the Forwards I can say that coaching the three strikers was a complex process so we decided to keep only two. The Italian professional footballer Ciro Immobile is a golden boy and an exemplary professional but it was good that he parted ways with the Turkish professional sports club – Beşiktaş J.K. As for the Italian professional footballer Giovanni Fabbian (plays as an attacking Midfielder for the Serie A club ACF Fiorentina on loan from Bologna) we wanted a player who could play multiple roles. The Swiss professional footballer Simon Sohm (Midfielder) can play in the attacking midfield but also in the midfield. Fabbian has a rider on putting things back on track – Fiorentina will have to stay up. We can also plan the Summer transfer window if we do not participate in the Cup competitions. Fabbian was like a son to us but his on-loan-decision had to be arrived at.”
“We are still not close to renewing contracts with the Italian professional footballer Riccardo Orsolini (Winger for Bologna) and the Colombian professional footballer Jhon Lucumí (Centre-back for Bologna). Several footballers are keen to stay back with us but we are nowhere near to renewing contracts with Orsolini and Lucumí. Everything depends on the financial compatibility between the players’ demands and what the club is offering.”
“We have to bail out the team from the string of crisis that it is facing right now as a result of which the club has slipped down the Serie A table. Intensive training and a razor-sharp focus can help improve the team’s performance.”
“The fans live in the moment. The team’s poor performance may affect them a little. The team has also been marred by injuries and they also played consecutive games – the Union of European Football Association’s (UEFA) Europa League (the annual club football competition for the eligible European football clubs) and the UEFA Super Cup. There are multiple factors. It would be great if the club taste victory again and brings back the joyful ambience in the venue.”
“The refereeing decisions has also sparked a lot of controversy. The Italian professional footballer Tommaso Pobega (Midfielder) send-off against the Serie A team Parma Calcio. If we look at the entire incident there was this moment. The referee had a clear view from the pitch. I think the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) is a very useful tool but we could have avoided it from turning into a slow-motion replay on the pitch. We should communicate with the referees because they are an integral part of the game and we need to invest in their training. We need collaboration between the club and the referees. The Winter transfer window and the current situation the team is going through has also led to the people questioning the team’s performance. We don’t want to scale back but the players should play by the sweat of their brows staying within the framework of rules. Only then can we come out trumps to stay in the reckoning in Europe.”
Nyon (Switzerland)-based the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) is one of the six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach football in Europe and the transcontinental countries of Russia (suspended), Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Kazakhstan as well as the West Asian countries of Cyprus, Armenia and Israel. The UEFA consists of 55 national association members. After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine the FIFA and the UEFA suspended all the Russian national teams and clubs from any FIFA and UEFA competitions.
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