Croatia’s Ministry of Economy has lodged an appeal against the decision as regards the results of the design competition for the new Maksimir Stadium and the SRC Svetice complex in Zagreb (capital of Croatia) thus opening a new legal stage in the long-awaited project.
Existing Decision Annulment
The ministry is seeking the annulment of the existing decision and a lawful repeat review and evaluation of the entries. If equal treatment of all competitors can no longer be ensured it is also asking for the competition itself to be annulled.
It has additionally requested that further contracting of the project be suspended until a decision on the appeal is reached.
Latest Appeal
The latest appeal does not determine the future of the winning architectural proposal. That will depend on the State Commission for the Supervision of Public Procurement Procedures (DKOM’s) decision and, if necessary, any subsequent steps in the procurement process.
Additional Legal Review
For now, the Government’s challenge means the €200 million-plus Maksimir project faces an additional legal review before the next stage can proceed.
Decision Review
‘CROATIAWEEK’ stated that the Economy Minister Ante Šušnjar posted on X that the ministry had submitted the appeal to the State Commission for the Supervision of Public Procurement Procedures (DKOM) seeking a review of the decision.
The new Maksimir Stadium is a planned 35,000-seat Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Category 4 modern football arena and sports district in Zagreb, Croatia, designed to replace the historic, earthquake-damaged 1912/1946 ground.
The SRC Svetice is a major public sports and leisure precinct located in the Eastern part of Zagreb, Croatia, near Maksimir Park.
The State Commission for the Supervision of Public Procurement Procedures (DKOM) is an autonomous and independent national second-instance body in Croatia that reviews the legal complaints and resolves the appeals regarding public procurement, concessions and public-private partnerships (PPPs).
Winning Design
‘CROATIAWEEK’ further stated that Šušnjar said the ministry decided to examine the competition procedure in greater detail following public reactions to the winning design and wider discussion about the future of the Maksimir complex.
Competition Procedure Fairness
He stressed that the appeal was not about whether the winning stadium design was aesthetically successful and said that architectural questions should be addressed by the architectural professionals. Instead, the ministry’s concerns relate to the legality and fairness of the competition procedure.
According to Šušnjar, the ministry’s analysis identified indications that the same rules may not have been applied equally to all 88 competitors.
Legal Assessment
The minister said the ministry’s legal assessment was that there were elements suggesting the winning proposal differed from the important conditions of the competition as well as from the official answers provided to the participants during the process.
Final Decision
The appeal also raises questions about how the technical, professional and financial aspects of the proposals were checked before the final decision was made.
Assessing Arguments
Šušnjar emphasized that the ministry was not prejudging DKOM’s decision and that the independent body would assess the arguments presented in the appeal.
‘Greater Risk’
“The new Maksimir Stadium has been awaited for decades. A few weeks of legal review will not put it at risk,” Šušnjar said, arguing that greater risk would arise if a project worth more than €200 million in public funds proceeded without resolving questions vis à vis whether all competitors had been subject to the same rules.
International Competition
The design competition for the new Maksimir Stadium and the SRC Svetice attracted 88 entries from more than 20 countries.
The first prize was awarded to the Italian architectural studio VG13 Architects Studio Associato led by architects Tommaso Fantini and Alberto Rossi.
Judging Panel
The judging panel included the Croatian and international architects and the other experts together with the representatives of the Croatian Government and the City of Zagreb.
Selected Proposal
The selected proposal is intended to provide a new football stadium as part of a wider redevelopment of the Maksimir area. The project has attracted considerable public interest given the Maksimir Stadium’s longstanding importance to Zagreb and Croatian football.
The Maksimir Stadium is a multiuse stadium in Zagreb, Croatia. Named after the surrounding neighborhood of Maksimir it is one of the largest stadiums in the country with a current seating capacity of 25,912 and a maximum possible capacity of 35,423. It is the home stadium of the Croatian club GNK Dinamo Zagreb and has been used since 1990 by the Croatia national football team for the majority of international competitions.
The GNK Dinamo Zagreb is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb (Croatia). They compete in the Croatian Football League (HNL), the top tier of Croatian football.
Public Reaction
Recently, the Dinamo Zagreb President Zvonimir Boban said the winning design would undergo several changes following public reaction to its initial presentation.
Nyon (Switzerland)-based the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) is the governing body of football in Europe and one of FIFA’s six continental confederations for association football consisting of 55 national associations.
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