The demolition of the current Puskás Ferenc Stadium in Budapest, which opened in 1953 but has since fallen into serious disrepair, is expected to begin this autumn and the construction of the new facility is planned to begin next year, with the new stadium being completed by 2019 at the latest, government commissioner for Budapest developments Balázs Fürjes said on the state news channel M1.

Beside being a venue for football matches, it will also serve as the country’s largest concert location and will host conferences of up to 1000-1500 people, according to plans.

The disclosure comes shortly after it was announced that the stadium’s reconstruction is to be carried out in a simplified form compared to original plans to save money.

This means that the previously envisaged multifunctional facility accomodating twenty different types of sport and “a selection will be made among functions”, meaning that plans for a 180-room hotel, a conference centre, a sports museum, an underground garage, and office block, a diagnostical laboratory and a police station will not become reality.

Source: hungarytoday.hu

Republished with permission