The Parliamentary Committee for Refugees-Caged-Missing and Suffered, during its meeting on 30/11/2021, discussed the issue concerning:
The policy of sponsorships to refugee associations by the Ministries of Finance, Interior, Education, Culture, Sports and Youth and the Cyprus Sports Organization.
Statements:
Risk of non-licensing of Anorthosis, N. Salamina and E. Achnas stadiums in the new season, concern of MPs
The danger is visible for the stadiums of Anorthosis, Nea Salamina and Ethnikos Achnas not to be licensed in the new football year, if the necessary improvements are not made, He referred to the meeting of the Parliamentary Committee for Refugees on Tuesday, during which the need for upgrading and licensing of the specific lands and the support of their refugee associations was stressed again.
During today's session, a representative of the Stadium Licensing Authority warned that the specific stadiums are "in the red" and that none of them will be licensed next September if the required works and their static concerns are not done.
As it was said, the projects cost around 12 million euros. More specifically, projects worth 5,5 million euros are required for the Anorthosis stadium, 3,3 million euros for the Salamina stadium and 3 million euros for the National stadium.
The members of the Refugee Committee are ringing the alarm bell for the re-appeal of the specific unions and call on the competent bodies of the State to assume their responsibilities and to find the ways, so that the improvement works can start immediately.
In his statements after the meeting, the Chairman of the Refugee Committee, Nikos Kettiros, stated that "while the President of the Republic pledged to support the refugee associations in the face of the risk of closing, due to problems with their fields, the Ministry of Finance requests a specific study , which will cost 150 thousand euros ", to note that" the representative of the Licensing Authority warned that the stages are in the red and no stage of a refugee association will be licensed next September, if the required works and related to the static are not done their".
He further explained that the stadiums of Nea Salamina, Anorthosis and Ethnikos Achnas will not be able to be licensed to hold first division matches, stressing that "they will seek refuge again and will seek shelter to play or will not be able to play in the first division".
He called on the state to immediately find the fund of 150 thousand, so that the studies can be done and submitted to the Ministry of Education and Science so that the unions can proceed.
Referring to the issue with the water supply of the auxiliary fields of the refugee association of Nea Salamina, Mr. Kettiros said that while today they expected that there would be a compromise intervention by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Department of Water Development, "there was a provocative and offensive highly unethical intervention by the Director of the Department of Water Development ".
It is not possible, he said, "while we were discussing in an atmosphere of understanding and conciliation to photograph refugee unions approximately as thieves and defaulters. "We can not accept the transfers made by the unions as a counterweight to the disputed debts of the unions", said Mr. Kettiros.
He noted that the Director of the Department of Water Development "He came to the Commission with a list of footballers from Nea Salamina and tried to submit that they are wasteful and cannot be reconciled with them."
He wondered if "this is how this state approaches the debts of all the clubs and if it goes and evaluates the cost of the transfers and the budget of the clubs and asks for a one-time repayment of all their obligations?".
He expressed his disappointment, saying that he expects the Minister of Agriculture to provide solutions, while noting that "Equally disappointing is the stagnation by the Ministry of Finance on the issue."
DISY MP, Nikos Georgiou, stated that "every state that respects itself and its citizens prioritizes the issues of safety and health of its citizens", noting that "it is time for the state to speed up the timely planning, determination timetables and the financing of the necessary improvement projects so that the stages of the unions are upgraded, to offer to the citizens what is required and to be licensed ".
He added that "the lack of necessary financial resources from the refugee associations maintains and intensifies the risk to the public safety of the football stadiums", adding that "the state must speed up the process of upgrading the public and private football stadiums".
DIKO MP, Christos Senekkis, stated that "Above our refugee unions lies the risk of seeking refuge for the second time" and called on the competent bodies of the State to assume their responsibilities and find ways to immediately begin the implementation of the political decision of 2020.
Answering a journalist's question whether these stadiums are dangerous, Mr. Seneckis said that "Repairs have been made to get a temporary license to operate with the current football season, but the Licensing Authority through its Representative today, told us that there is a risk if there is an extreme scenario of an earthquake occurring during the match."
DIPA MP, Michalis Giakoumis, stated that "It is indisputable that the state must take seriously that the refugee associations can no longer afford the financial cost of maintaining their stadiums so that they can meet the criteria by the Stadium Licensing Authority", noting that "problems, such as the statics of the stands and the need for anti-seismic upgrades, are issues of the utmost importance and pose a serious risk to the health of thousands of fans ".
He called on the relevant bodies to seriously consider this issue and to prepare a comprehensive plan, in order to make the improvements and upgrades of the grounds of the refugee associations.
"Refugee clubs are not just football teams. "The Refugee Associations are the ones who hold high the flag of return and it is for all of us the beacon that points to our occupied territories that must never go out.", he said.