Partizan Stadium: Construction Could Start in 45 Days

The electrical grid at Partizan’s stadium in Humska has stood untouched for about 50 years, according to Sport Klub, and the ground is also due to get four new floodlights. That list of works now has a deadline. Milka Forcan, Partizan’s vice president for business policy, confirmed that the club expects a construction site to open in roughly 45 days, provided everything goes according to plan.

What does the start of work depend on?

The first step is not up to the club. In a statement carried by B92, Forcan said Partizan has been working on the project for several months together with the Ministry of Public Investments and the Football Association of Serbia, and is now in the final phase of obtaining administrative approvals. A government decision follows, then a tender.

“We confirm the reports that for several months we have been working intensively, in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Investments and the Football Association of Serbia, on preparing and defining the project to renovate the FK Partizan stadium. We are currently in the final phase of obtaining all the necessary administrative approvals, and we expect the Serbian government to make a decision on Thursday that will create the conditions for the procedure to continue, after which a tender for the works will be announced.”

The sequence is clear: a government decision on Thursday, then a tender for the contractor, then the construction site. The deadline Forcan gave is tied to that chain. She said the club expects a site to be open at the stadium in about 45 days, if everything is carried out on the planned schedule. According to Sport Klub, the preliminary design has already been submitted, and what remains is paperwork and the mandatory tenders.

What exactly is being renovated in Humska?

B92 reports that the plan covers the electrical grid and floodlights, the east stand and its boxes, the dressing rooms and a new press center, along with a hybrid pitch. Sport Klub, citing Telegraf, adds details:

• the east stand will be completely renovated, along with the boxes and toilets
• the dressing rooms will be refurbished once again
• the stadium is expected to get four new floodlights
• the entire electrical grid, about 50 years old, is waiting to be replaced
• a press center and a new hybrid playing surface are planned

These details come from media reports, not from the vice president’s statement, so they should be read as an announcement and not as a confirmed scope of work.

Who pays, and what does UEFA say?

The project is worth about five million euros. Sport Klub writes that the Serbian state will initially invest 5,000,000 euros and, citing Telegraf, that there are signs the sum could grow in the final phases. The club has not confirmed that.

The goal is for the stadium to meet UEFA standards and to be one of the hosts of next summer’s European youth championship. B92 reports that a UEFA delegation recently toured the stadium, made suggestions and approved the start of the project. Sport Klub writes that UEFA representatives arrived in Belgrade about ten days ago and that Partizan officials assured them everything will be finished on time, despite the dilapidated state of some parts of the stadium.

Forcan also said what this means for the club:

“This is an important moment for FK Partizan. After years of needing serious investment in infrastructure, we are finally entering the phase of carrying out a project that should bring a significant improvement in conditions at the stadium and bring us closer to meeting the strictly prescribed requirements that UEFA standards entail.”

What happens next?

The first date to watch is Thursday, when the Serbian government decision is expected. Without it there is no tender, and without a tender there is no construction site, so the 45-day clock does not start running. Where Partizan will play while the work is under way, the sources do not say.