Everyone wants football in their yard - Where will the National Football Stadium of Serbia be located?

The ball is in the air. Construction of a national stadium, which could make it possible for Serbia to host the 2020 European Football Championship, is gaining in relevance, and the question that attracts most attention at the moment is - where to situate it?

Although it will not select the final location, the Football Association of Serbia (FSS) will offer interested investors several possible locations. At a recent project presentation, which was organized by the FSS and the Mace company, several locations were mentioned - the stadiums of Crvena Zvezda FC, Partizan FC and Rad FC as well as Borca, Altina, the surroundings of the House of Football in Stara Pazova, locations in the vicinity of Block 45 and Luka Beograd (Port of Belgrade).

The municipality of Pecinci was the first to come out with a concrete offer few days ago - land for free.

- The national stadium can be situated in Simanovci, which is only few kilometers away from Nikola Tesla Airport in Surcin and Belgrade, and is in the vicinity of Stara Pazova and the House of Football. That's why I propose to have the national stadium built in Simanovci and if FSS officials express interest, I will suggest the Town Hall of Pecinci allot the location and land for this purpose for free – said Mayor Sava Cojcic.

Pecinci's offer has divided football lovers into those in favor and those against the idea to build the national stadium there, whereas no official comment has been given by people from the Football Association of Serbia to date.

- The mayor has also met with the representatives of the Mace company with negotiations yet to start. We still have no reaction from the Football Association - Pecinci spokesperson Dusan Sreckov said to eKapija.

(Simanovci)

The offer made by the Pecinci municipality is a good move, but it is still too early to give any official appraisals, says Jovica Jakovac, director of the Belgrade-based company Solidity Real Estate, which is a partner of Mace.

- Free land can be a motive for investors, but there are many other criteria for making a decision. Only bids are being collected at the moment, and it will take few months to analyze and compare all locations as each of them has its strengths and weaknesses. We will then be able to give an appraisal of locations and compare them with each other – says our interlocutor.

- The decision of Pecinci to offer free land shows their intention to attract investors. We hope for good offers from other municipalities as well, and this process is still at its beginning – he adds.

It is indisputable that due to the vicinity of the airport and important road routes, Simanovci represents a suitable location, but one of the things that need to be improved is public transportation. When making a decision on what to offer to investors, appraisal of the missing infrastructure will play a crucial role.

Parking lot for 1,500 cars and minimum 2,600 rooms

One of the questions football lovers from other cities in our country have asked in the past few months is "Why does the National Stadium have to be situated in Belgrade or its vicinity?

Prospective construction zones must meet basic UEFA standards, primarily in terms of size. The land lot must be big enough to enable undisturbed and safe movement of all visitors and setting up of temporary UEFA facilities and commercial buildings, and it also has to offer a sufficient number of parking places, meaning that the required size is between 20 and 50 hectares.

Also, these locations must meet transportation requirements - quick access to an international airport as well as public transportation bus stops with minimum three main routes going to the stadium from different directions.

There must also be a parking lot for at least 315 buses and minibuses as well as 1,500 cars. This parking lot must be maximum 20 minutes of walking away from the stadium. This can be a limiting factor for certain locations in downtown Belgrade, our interlocutor explains.

In the end, in order for Serbia to host EURO 2020, the place where the national stadium is located or its surroundings must also feature at least 2,600 rooms (for group stage matches), that is, 5,500 rooms (for semifinals) with minimum 75% of them in three- and four-star hotels.

- That means that Belgrade is not our choice, but it is simply the only possible solution according to UEFA criteria - explains the director of Solidity Real Estate.

The financing model that everybody expects and wishes for is public-private partnership.

M.S.