Extension on FIFA bid half as long as council’s request
Posted Dec 7, 2011 03:54:19 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
HRM city council was hoping to have six more months to decide on how to proceed with a new stadium for the city, but it seems the Canadian Soccer Association thinks half that time is sufficient to come up with an adequate bid for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The Association’s Peter Montopoli tells The Rick Howe Show the clock is ticking.
“We are still commited with FIFA to announce the official host cities in the first six months of 2012 and we will stick to that schedule. As such, and knowing our timeline, we are prepared to work with city council and grant an extension to March 31st, 2012,” he says.
Montopoli says the extension comes with certain caveats.
“Renderings must be in place by March 31st, 2012. Financing must be in place by that time,” he says. “And the completion date is to remain as January 1st, 2015.”
Failure to meet these targets, says Montopoli, will result in Halifax no longer being eligible to host the event, although he says it has no bearing on whether the city proceeds with the build beyond its desire to be a host city.
As of Wednesday, Montopoli also says there had been no formal request made for the bid extension. He told The Rick Howe Show he was aware of an informal request and was unsure if his association could expect more than that.
There are seven Canadian cities vying to host part of the world class event.
