Daewoo may get green light for Legia stadium
The Defense Ministry later this year will hand ownership of the existing Legia sports club to the Agency for Military Property (AMW). That agency could then turn and lease or sell the sport club's site to Daewoo, which would enable the South Korean company to build a long talked about new stadium for the soccer team.
AMW expects to gain control of the site in the third quarter of this year, said agency spokesman Wieslaw Rozbicki.
The most popular soccer club in Poland and partially owned by Daewoo, Legia at one time was part of a Defense Ministry owned entity having 58 hectares of land in two complexes, one on lazienkowska street in central Warsaw and the other at Fort Bema in the Bemowo gmina. The soccer club was later separated and a 30% stake sold to Daewoo, while the Defense Ministry kept the sites and facilities.
That situation has kept Daewoo from using the sports club's site to build a new stadium. The company had asked that the ministry either sell it the land or sign a long-term lease before it sinks money into a new stadium.
"One doesn't invest in land one doesn't own," said Piton Strejlau, spokesman for Legia Daewoo soccer club.
The AMW's involvement should now make that possible. "If we are allowed to have this stadium, we are ready to invest," said B.E. Jeon, director of Daewoo Corp.'s Warsaw office and a board member of Legia Daewoo.
Jeon said that Daewoo would look to gradually invest the $30 million the stadium is expected to cost. Daewoo had wanted to build the stadium for Legia fans, even though the entire venture makes little business sense.
"This is good will," Jeon said.
The AMW's Rozbicki said that the agency has not yet talked directly to Daewoo about developing the site. He said any discussion must wait until the Defense Ministry actually transfers ownership.
In addition to Legia, the AMW also expects the ministry to transfer other sports clubs sites, including Slask Wroclaw, WKS Wawel Krakow, Flota Gdynia and Zawisza Bydgoszcz, Rozbicki said.
AMW expects to gain control of the site in the third quarter of this year, said agency spokesman Wieslaw Rozbicki.
The most popular soccer club in Poland and partially owned by Daewoo, Legia at one time was part of a Defense Ministry owned entity having 58 hectares of land in two complexes, one on lazienkowska street in central Warsaw and the other at Fort Bema in the Bemowo gmina. The soccer club was later separated and a 30% stake sold to Daewoo, while the Defense Ministry kept the sites and facilities.
That situation has kept Daewoo from using the sports club's site to build a new stadium. The company had asked that the ministry either sell it the land or sign a long-term lease before it sinks money into a new stadium.
"One doesn't invest in land one doesn't own," said Piton Strejlau, spokesman for Legia Daewoo soccer club.
The AMW's involvement should now make that possible. "If we are allowed to have this stadium, we are ready to invest," said B.E. Jeon, director of Daewoo Corp.'s Warsaw office and a board member of Legia Daewoo.
Jeon said that Daewoo would look to gradually invest the $30 million the stadium is expected to cost. Daewoo had wanted to build the stadium for Legia fans, even though the entire venture makes little business sense.
"This is good will," Jeon said.
The AMW's Rozbicki said that the agency has not yet talked directly to Daewoo about developing the site. He said any discussion must wait until the Defense Ministry actually transfers ownership.
In addition to Legia, the AMW also expects the ministry to transfer other sports clubs sites, including Slask Wroclaw, WKS Wawel Krakow, Flota Gdynia and Zawisza Bydgoszcz, Rozbicki said.
