Immediate reactions followed the decision of the Nice Administrative Tribunal to suspend the construction of the large stadium that was to be built on the Var plain.
Nice-Première: The administrative tribunal of Nice has suspended the execution of the contract passed by the city of Nice for the construction and operation of the large stadium. What do you think about it?
Patrick Mottard : If prefect Breuil, a militant prefect if there ever was one, found himself forced to disapprove the mayor of the UMP party of the fifth city in France on such an important issue, it’s probably because the irregularities involved were particularly egregious. In fact, the situation can be summed up in three points:
1) Strangled by the construction cost of the tramway, the city clearly didn’t have the means to afford a large stadium.
2) The private sector, interested in construction, was much less interested in operating it at uncertain profitability, where the profits had to be shared with the club.
3) Therefore, a pseudo-private financing was rigged up which was actually public funding spread over thirty years.
I would add that this poor arrangement rushed the Gym right into the spiral of English-style football. The price of tickets was not set in the concession, which could become prohibitively expensive, as seen in English stadiums now barred to less wealthy fans (see https://patrickmottard.blogspot.com)
It is therefore not abnormally that the prefect at first, and the administrative justice later, opposed an arrangement that risked heavily burdening the city’s financial situation, tarnishing its reputation even further, and seriously harming the (true) supporters.
Pifou (webmaster of OGCN.net): It was a mistake to let the construction begin
From the very beginning of this case, a part of the Nice inhabitants suspected there was something fishy due to the manipulations undertaken to convince public opinion.
If it hadn’t been done properly, a quicker reaction was necessary. The halt of the construction, which should never have started, is an economic disaster for the involved contractors. I just hope they will be compensated… at our expense of course, since it’s always taxpayer money that is used.
NP: How do you imagine the future of this file?
PM: We can see an enormous waste, because it’s true that Nice should have a large stadium. Nothing will prevent starting the case over, at Saint Isidore or elsewhere. But after two failures (Le Ray and Saint Isidore), it’s difficult to imagine the current municipal team successfully carrying out any project.
Pifou: It’s never too late to do the right thing
One must have the courage to start over from the beginning and look at it objectively, and I emphasize the word objectively, meaning with no other goal than the communal interest. If the project has to be abandoned as it is currently proposed, then let’s abandon it. It’s never too late to do the right thing.
NP: Do you think a return to a project on the Ray hill is feasible?
PM: Nothing is excluded. It’s still the wish of some supporters. However, a genuine dialogue with the people of Nice Nord regarding the possibilities and limits of such an endeavor still needs to be conducted.
Pifou: The best alternative
Technically, strategically, and financially, I think the Ray is the best alternative. The costs of equipping the stadium would be less burdensome for the taxpayer, a stadium capacity of about 23,000 to 25,000 seats would be reasonable for a club that has never had more than 15,223 average spectators (in 1952). I also want to remind that the city would have paid the difference with the 20,000 spectators required by the contract (annual average requirement) for many years.
My perspective as a supporter is aligned, it would benefit the club that would maintain that unique atmosphere in the stands mentioned by players from other clubs when they come to play here.
It’s true that the club needs better facilities to pursue its ambitions and become a top-tier club, but nothing mandates that these have to be next to a league-1 certified stadium. They can thus be built on the plain.
Nice will emerge richer, as will we, and OGCNice will retain its historic stadium, its unique atmosphere, and the warmth of its public.
