Braga city officials have definitively rejected a prominent football club’s proposal for a new stadium, instead pushing for the sale of the existing municipal facility to the club with proceeds earmarked for another historical sports venue.
João Rodrigues, the new president of the Braga City Council, asserted the municipality’s ultimate authority over stadium construction. He ruled out the building of any new sports arena within the district.
“The Braga City Council is still the one that grants the possibility of building stadiums or not,” Rodrigues stated in an interview with Rádio Universitária do Minho. “Of course not,” he added regarding a new stadium.
Rodrigues revealed his intention to sell the existing Municipal Stadium of Braga to the club, Sport Lisboa e Braga (Sp. Braga).
The value of the stadium, he noted, would depend on an assessment by qualified evaluators. He clarified that the city could not force Sp. Braga to purchase the facility.
Funds generated from such a sale would be used to rehabilitate another significant sports complex, Estádio 1º de Maio, a promise made during his election campaign.
Sp. Braga President António Salvador had previously indicated that the club was considering the possibility of a new stadium for its men’s senior team.
Salvador’s exploration was contingent on the findings of an evaluation by a consultant already contacted by the club. His comments were made in an interview with the Portuguese newspaper Record.