The controversy surrounding the ‘naming’ of the future stadium in the Plaine du Var is certainly not likely to fade anytime soon. After Patrick Allemand and his critical intervention concerning the name of the stands, now comes the hyperactive ‘Marine-Le-Pen-supporting’ responsible official of Nice, adding his less-than-flattering commentary.
The truth is that the Mayor of Nice, with his excessive communication, gives the impression of volunteering for this kind of verbal confrontation. Was it not enough to explain that ‘naming’ is a procedure applied in all new stadiums and that it is a right of the concessionaire within the framework of the public-private partnership?
Mr. Estrosi does not seem to know the first rule of communication: Too much communication kills communication. Sometimes you have to accept criticism and move on!
Statement from Gaël Nofri (Bleu Marine-FN):
Thus, it was not enough for the people of Nice to be stripped of their right to choose the name of the future Nice stadium; they had to endure the added insult of a purely commercial naming along with the humiliation of a communication campaign.
A full-page advertisement in the local daily Nice-Matin (11/08/12), and it’s several thousand euros taken from household taxes dedicated by the City Hall to trying to make people accept a name that the citizens of Nice clearly do not want.
“Allianz-Riviera 100% from Nice,” boasts Christian Estrosi with no further argument. But repeating it excessively and rolling out every possible communication plan should not make this absurdity a reality, quite the contrary.
Another theme developed by our officials in favor of this operation: thanks to this naming, Nice enters the big league of Europe, the very closed club of prestigious stadiums, with its only counterpart in France being… the very famous stadium of Le Mans!
The people of Nice will likely struggle to understand the justification for an advertising campaign intended to convince them of a name neither they nor their elected representatives chose. They will understand even less that public funds are used to support a financial arrangement that does not benefit them at all since the sums paid by the Allianz group in exchange for this “prostitution of the stadium’s naming” will not reduce the cost for the city of such infrastructure. Instead, they will significantly increase the profits gained by the Vinci group in the matter.
With the cost to the city having almost tripled since Christian Estrosi’s election, reaching the astronomical sum of 243.5 million euros, and a name expected to bring in around 16.2 million euros, the Nice stadium is likely to make quite a few people happy.
Unfortunately, it seems already certain that the taxpayers of Nice will not be among them…
