Speech of Prime Minister Edi Rama at the meeting of the National Council of the Territory, during which the project for the National Stadium was presented:
As a general rule, the meetings of the National Council of the Territory are held behind closed doors. They may be public in certain cases, but none of the guests has the right to intervene.
However, we thought this is a good moment to have a public meeting with a limited number of guests from the Ministry of Urban development. And I believe that, in respect of some of those who are here and have expressed their technical controversies for this project, we will be able to give them the opportunity, after the official presentation, during the break, to talk to the architects of the project and exchange opinions.
I want to say some things which I believe are important to establish a framework of rationality in this process, a process started with a lot of ambition and determination by the Albanian government in cooperation with the Albanian Football Federation in order to give our country a national stadium.
I remember that, since I was Mayor of Tirana, when we realized the project for the centre of Tirana with the famous French “Architecture Studio”, I had a debate, I and others of our team, regarding the location of the stadium. We advocated the idea that the stadium should be moved in the suburbs. The French studio insisted that the stadium should stay where it is. I can tell you that I do not remember, throughout the 11 years I was mayor, and later, any occasion on which I have discussed – and I have exposed this issue to all the famous architects and urban planners who have come in Tirana – that one single person has told me that it would be better if the new stadium were built in the suburbs. On the contrary, everybody without exception has highlighted the fact that Tirana is lucky to have the existing stadium in in the centre, and that the new stadium will be on the existing trail. Just as I have heard the very important remark, from a cultural standpoint, that we will disrespect the original plan by Brasini, if we move the stadium from where it is in the suburbs. The opposite is true. Not to mention here people of sports.
No later than two evenings ago I received a message from Arrigo Sacchi, whom I sent the project for the stadium as a courtesy. He said “this is a wonderful project, I wish with all my heart for Albania to have this stadium because it is the best thing that your country can do for football.” Undoubtedly, everyone in football, and everyone involved in sports starting from the Football Federation, want the stadium to be there. The urban, economic and social logic of the city as well wants the stadium to be there. We are talking about a cultural monument in a very abstract way, and certainly without considering what actually the stadium “Qemal Stafa” is today.
The stadium “Qemal Stafa” is today a miserable trade centre. It is a ruin, a tent for parking and washing cars, and for all kinds of miserable things, which have nothing in common with any acceptable standard for the centre of Tirana and the vision and concept of Brasini and Bosio; it is a shame in the middle of the capital city. And, in addition to being a shame in the middle of the capital city, it is a great shame for our country. I remember very well the first meeting I had as prime minister with the president of the Federation. We risked to be the first country in time of peace to have the national team emigrate in another country to play qualifying matches for the European Cup. Because UEFA has marked this stadium as a stadium that doesn’t have any standard to host a match.
On the other hand, no capital city does have, and neither can have Tirana, the luxury to have a hole in its centre. A dark hole at night, which had no function during the day. No one should forget that it is a stadium. It was designed as a stadium by Bosio, it lives as stadium and should continue to live as a stadium. It is not the facade of the stadium. It is the national stadium of Albania.
Now, certainly a stadium requires money. We have made an unusual effort as a government. No government in Europe finances today the construction of stadiums. No investors of stadiums would buy today the land to build a stadium. These two things must be very clear. The land to build a stadium is donated by the city hall.
The Juventus stadium is built on a donated land. Not only they did not pay any money, but they had the land as a donation. The same with the stadium in Rome. The same battle has been going on in Naples for 10 years, because investors do not accept the land that the municipality has donated them, and want another land. The same thing happens in Florence. I mentioned Italy, but let’s not go any further where the same thing happens.
What we did with “Elbasan Arena” and “Loro Boriçi” honours us as a government, because we did what we did to save the honour of our national team, to prevent our country from entering history as the only country, the first and the last on the planet that takes its national team to play its matches abroad in time of peace. Other countries have done this, but they did it in time of war. Albania did it also in 1997.
There is a serious problem. Stadiums are not built only for Sundays or only for football. There is no longer any country that builds stadiums only for Sunday or only for football. I’ve heard very ridiculous comparisons with “Allianz Arena”. “Allianz Arena” hosts 80 thousand people who pay 100 Euros every Sunday. Whereas, Albania’s national stadium, or many other stadiums, do not have the opportunity to sustain themselves, just as states, governments and municipalities do not manage stadiums. That does not happen. It is something that belongs to the past. The big serious problem that we have with stadiums, whether with “Elbasan Arena” for which the president of the Federation can witness, or the stadium of Shkodra, is the daily management of all that space that does not consist only in the fields, stairs, but is made of many other facilities.
It is very important not to forget for a moment the social impact that the national team has had, has and will always have despite of the fact that we will not be in every edition of the finals of a European or World Cup, and the necessity to give this impact a maximum value. And also, the necessity of having a stadium in downtown Tirana that functions as a public space available to the public 7 days a week and preferably 7 nights a week.
Therefore, I see no reason for controversy in terms of the necessity for the stadium, in terms of the need for a sustainable economic and social urban development, just as certainly it is quite normal to have discussions and controversy over the project itself. There is no potential architectural project that can create consensus. Consensus can be created only by the stadium “Qemal Stafa” as it is today, which thanks to the 25 year consensus has been ruined in front of our eyes, has become an ordinary oriental bazar, an unprecedented filthy place, an unprecedented shame, and nobody has ever said “how come that this stadium has been left in such conditions?”. Nobody has ever thought either of Armando Brasini or Gherardo Bosio when the edifice was deformed. It has not been deformed only in these 25 years. There have been continuous interventions in this stadium since after the war until recently. Nobody stood up and asked “how come?”
Moreover, we are in a completely different context. The stadium and that facade are not surrounded by the nothingness of old photos exposed to oppose the project. They are within a completely different urban and definitely social context. We cannot be that rigid and fanatical face of the necessity for intervention in every aspect, but also to intervene in that context. The context has been totally different since the Sheraton was built, let alone following all the other developments that have occurred around. Moreover, the theory of the city expansion to the suburbs is a theory that has become old-fashioned. The European city is increasingly populated in its borders, and increasingly less extended in the suburbia, as is happening with US cities. Sustainable development, the principles of sustainable development and the new approach to sustainable development are widely accepted in the urban culture of Europe as incentive to conserve the city in the existing borders, by increasing density within the city, and to maintain a balance between the city and the nature all around. Not to have the city scattered everywhere, as it has happened because of the vicious urban policies made in this country, and because of the administrative and territorial fragmentation due to which instead of intensifying its borders, Tirana has lost large parts of its green crown.
I do not know if it is the most appropriate for a project to be attacked without being looked at, to be attacked without being thoroughly understood. The new stadium restores the square by Brasini and Bosio. The car parking will be removed. There has been an ordinary car parking for over 20 years, and nobody has ever said “where is the piazza by Brasini and and Bosio?” It is a piazza designed for pedestrians, but no pedestrian has walked there since the time when freedom came for us along with the struggle for democracy. This project gives pedestrian their piazza back. So, thanks to the new project, we don’t have one piazza, but two. We don’t have just the square “Mother Teresa”, but we have also the other square. Likewise, the new project paves the path to free the square also from the construction between the stadium and Sheraton, which is totally incompatible both with the authorization issued by the Municipality of Tirana long ago, and the projection for the future.
The project creates two new public spaces that do not exist today. Only here it could happen that all these theologians of our heritage and architecture can accept to drive on the free path between the car wash service point and the wall of the Sheraton, and consider this normal. They’re fine with the idea of being sandwiched on the other side of the road. Whereas the stadium creates two public spaces. On the other hand, it is inconceivable to me at least, the phobia for the towers. While in terms of stadiums with a tower, I am very sorry, but they are neither the invention of this time and much less an invention of Italian architects. I would be very happy if we had to do with the first tower to be built in the history of the stadium, and I would support it passionately despite all the mud or misunderstandings. But this is not the first one. The towers and the stadium have coexisted since the early last century, and just look at the “Olympia Stadium” with its two towers, just turn your head and see the current stadium of Florence with the old tower built before World War II, just look at the many stadiums of the latest generation who have towers.
Meanwhile, I assure you that in this case the tower is absolutely no speculation to earn square meters. If you count the square meters of the tower, you will see that they are completely insufficient to justify a real estate speculation, and if it were for the square meters, they would be easily gained along the entire perimeter of the stadium. The tower is an element required insistently by the architect and the studio as an iconic element of the project for the new stadium, which reflects the relation of the architect and of the studio with tradition in general from a cultural point of view, and with the ensemble in question in particular, and on the other hand it gives the stadium a significant and attractive sign as part of its own body.
Today the stadium is estimated to cost 50 million Euros. Certainly works may also require additional funding, as it happens sometimes. So, who do you expect, who do these theologians expect the stadium to be build by? With the government budget? Never! It’s impossible! By the Federation? Absolutely impossible! The only option is the option chosen by governments that are far wealthier than ours, the public-private partnership where a company identified with regular procedures by the Albanian Football Federation enters the partnership. The company invests 40 million Euros, and since the project has been highly appreciated, it has been sent to UEFA before being submitted to the NTC, because the Football Federation cannot make even the smallest investment, which means no stadium, without UEFA’s approval. And, just like “Elbasan Arena” and the stadium “Loro Boriçi” went back and forth to and from the UEAF’s headquarters to have the standards of the project confirmed 100%, this project has been submitted to UEFA as well. It was no coincidence, it was not that a senior UEFA representative was passing by when the Albanian Football Federation was presenting the project a few days ago. And when I met him, he kept asking me” Are you sure you want to implement this? This is one of the most beautiful stadiums in Europe.” It has been proved also in other forms. The President of the Federation can tell better, because it was him, not me, who was there when other tests were performed and they didn’t succeed. The Albanian government, the Albanian budget does not pay any money. It takes back a large public asset, the stadium for the national team and for all the fans of the national team.
The Municipality of Tirana doesn’t pay any money and takes back a public space that will be an additional part to the modern city of the urban and social life. The Federation doesn’t pay any money, but it guarantees UEFA’s support, precisely because it submits a serious project. Where is the problem in this case? Does the problem consist in the fact that there is a private company that will own a part of the auxiliary premises, after investing 40 million Euros? This kind of discussions could be made only in the trials of the former Labour Party. Only that party could accuse you of being a traitor of the country for having some basic notions of the market economy. I cannot understand how we can discuss about these things in a democratic country the economy of which is accepted by the Constitution, and functions based on the private entrepreneurship.
Whereas, discussions such as: “does the red colour fit in? Should Armando Brasini’s facade be in or out? Should there be an 8-angle or a 4-angle shape? Should the tower be tall, or should there be no tower?” – These are totally normal discussions among professionals, architects, urban planners, and fans, but let’s not forget one thing. This is decided by those who do, not by those who watch. This is not a decision made by those who have their own opinions, but this is the job of those who must make decisions, they have to listen to every opinion and then make decisions. For this new kind of fashion that somebody is trying to create, according to which some very respectable people in terms of their ideas gather together and try to impose them on decision making authorities and on the people who invest in this country, how a playground or a stadium should be built, this is totally unacceptable. This is as much an uncivilized attitude as it may seem democratic. Whereas the exchange of opinions and debates are the most normal thing in the world. But we have no time to waste, the stadium is necessary, the ruins there are embarrassing, and ultimately the thing that should normally appease everybody is that Gherardo Bosio will be preserved. The part of the bazar which is authentic will be preserved. It’s very simple.
Someone said: “It obstructs the view of Mount Dajti”. What about those towers on the back. Don’t they obstruct it? What about the Sheraton? Doesn’t it prevent us see from seeing the sensual curves of the lake hills? What about the tower on the other side? These are completely naïve things, and I am very sorry for they show a very controversial level of the debate. These are not serious debates for such a serious project. Of course, the Institute of Cultural Monuments has done and will thoroughly do its duty to ensure that the valuable part of the ensemble will be preserved, whereas the phrase “the ensemble is falling apart” is a tremendous speculation. The opposite is true. The ensemble is preserved and is being actualized. It is not falling apart. Because as I said, the basic element of the ensemble is another pedestrian area, it will be built and restored in the ensemble. The basic element of the ensemble is the facade by Bosio. It will be preserved.
Thank you!
