GSD rejects to spend £100m of Gibraltar savers' money on the stadium

The GSD, Gibraltar's main opposition party, says it "will not spend savers' money on the £100 million (about 112.8 million euros) football stadium project".

"A GSD government will not agree to the injection of savers' money into the proposed new 100 million Victoria stadium", with "commercial and residential complex", the party adds in a statement.

Therefore, the GSD adds, in case of governing "we will withdraw the commitment announced by the GSLP/Libs in November 2022 to spend Savings Bank money (essentially savers' money) on this project".

The formation recalls that, "for years, the Government has promised that the construction of a new stadium would be at no cost to taxpayers. It sold the land to GFA in 2017 without payment by GFA of a premium to develop the land and on the basis that UEFA funds would pay for a new stadium".

"It is clear from the answers given in Parliament that the Government has no view on the detail of the proposed project. This is worrying given the scale of the proposed commitment. It is also unsatisfactory that there are no clear answers as to why the UEFA money is no longer available and big questions remain as to why a stadium of this size is necessary," the GSD added.

In addition, "there is concern that the development needs of the football community and youth football are not being met in this project.

Opposition leader Keith Azopardi argues that "our public finances are in crisis. Many people are suffering in a cost of living crisis. It is inappropriate to commit to using savers or public money to underwrite this project now".

"We understand that the proposal for a new football stadium has been around for many years and we sympathise with the aspirations of the football community in this regard, but at this difficult time it would be rash to commit public money or savers to this project," he says.

"Instead, in Government, we would discuss ways of continuing with the GFA so that we can help them find third party private sector interest following appropriate tendering or expression of interest processes so that neither public money nor savers need to be used to fund the construction costs of this stadium development."

It will be interesting to see how all this "plays" out, because when it comes to construction and development projects, locals are sold on the idea of it's good for the economy, yet in reality it's good for developers; and who are they really?

It's nice to see the GSD questioning these public funds, pointing out the previous lies of colleages on the "other" side. Not impressed with the idea to involving a third party - who would be behind that - is it wrong to question that it might be a CCP-linked shell company? Or even billionaires who want everyone but them to own nothing?

Father is looking after Gibraltar. It's being prepared - so housing might end up going to people not identified as yet :slight_smile:.

I can see why the stadium might be blocked because from the Book of Enoch, we know what Father and Prince Michael think of sports:

Enoch 66:7 Through that valley also rivers of fire went, to which those angels shall be condemned, who seduced the inhabitants of the Earth.
66:8 And in those days shall these waters be to kings, to princes, to the exalted and to the inhabitants of the Earth, for the healing of the Soul (Being) and body (human), and for the judgement of the spirit.
66:9 Their spirits shall be full of SPORT, that they may be judged for their bodies (1 Tim. 3:8); because they have denied the Lord of spirits, and although they perceive their condemnation day by day, they believe not in His name (Rev. 20:15).
66:10 And as the swelling of their bodies (and ego) shall be great, so shall their spirits undergo a change for ever.
66:11 For no word which is uttered before the Lord of spirits shall be in vain (Isa. 34:16).
66:12 Judgement has come upon them, because they trusted in the sport of their bodies, and denied the Lord of spirits (by so doing - 1 Tim. 3:8).
66:13 In those days shall its waters be changed; for when the angels (jinns - Beings - souls) shall be judged, then shall the heat of those springs of water experience an alteration.
66:14 And when the angels shall ascend, the water of the springs shall again undergo a change, and be frozen. Then I heard holy Michael answering and saying: This Judgement, with which the angels (Beings - souls) shall be judged, shall bear testimony against the kings, the princes, and those who possess (and think they own) the Earth.

To the billionaires, owning football clubs may be prestigious in this mammon world, but it's not going to help them in Judgement.

Besides, WW3 - the hot phase - is just around the corner. Survival is going to be way more important than sports.

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