Famous Ukrainian forward Ivan Sharii told Sport.UA his opinion on the construction of a new arena in Poltava to replace the Butovsky Stadium.
Ivan Sharii- Recently I learned about information that instead of our 25,000-seat building, which is going to be demolished, they intend to build an 8,500-seat building. I can't believe it in my head. Poltava has always been and remains a football city. All kinds of people have come here - participants in UEFA competitions, rivals in the Ukrainian Cup and Super Cup finals. And for almost three decades now, the leading teams of our football have been visiting Vorskla in the Ukrainian league. Often, these games have been attended by a full stadium. And even when there was no full house, an average of 15 thousand people gathered. I remember the championship match of the 1996/1997 season with Dynamo Kyiv, in which Vorskla won 4-3. At that time, our home arena was so crowded that there was not even room for an apple to fall - 26 thousand people came.
Let's assume that a new arena will be built after the war. And I wonder: when Vorskla enters the European Cup tournament and a famous opponent comes to visit, won't this lead to an absurd situation when only 8 and a half thousand of the 25 thousand spectators will be able to get into the stands? And what are the rest of them supposed to do? Walk under the stadium? I think this is not normal.
- The main argument of the Poltava club's management in favor of the new stadium is the most comfortable conditions for the fans: recreation areas, playgrounds, hospitality areas, etc.
- To be honest, all this surprises me. Especially the idea that arose during the war. You know, this stadium has been there since 1974, when I made my professional debut with Kolos Poltava. At that time, it was undergoing a large-scale reconstruction, and our team had to play its home games in Reshetylivka. Since then, the sports arena has been renovated several times, with the lawn replaced, an electric heating system and a modern scoreboard installed. I am sure that our stadium will stand for another hundred years. If anything is done to it, it will be only cosmetic repairs. So I don't see the point in destroying it. After all, breaking is not building. Demolish Vorskla stadium and what will happen there? I don't want the reconstruction to end up in ruins, as it usually does. If they wish, Vorskla can build a brand new arena, and the existing one will be used for football training for the city's children's and youth sports schools, and after the running tracks are restored, for athletes. I don't even know what else to say. It seems to me that the city authorities will not give the sports facility, which has been loved by many generations of Poltava residents, to the club. Common sense should prevail, and the Poltava City Council will not do it. This is the opinion of not only me, but also many football fans in Poltava region.
