Newly promoted side Benevento hasn’t had much time to celebrate its promotion to Serie A, as the stark reality of playing in Italy’s top league with its stricter requirements has set in, particularly for its home stadium.
According to former referee and FIGC consultant Carlo Longhi, the Stadio Ciro Vigorito will require major renovations to meet the requirements of Serie A.
The start of the new season is just two months away and the renovations must start as soon as possible to meet the deadline. Longhi, who is also an engineer, stressed the tight timeline in order for the stadium to reach a capacity of 16,000 seats initially and go up to 20,000.
List of renovations required
- Seats with numbers
- Turnstiles and restrooms in Curva Nord
- Modifications to the hospitality area
- Increase bench area from 16 to 18 seats
- Expand media area from 34 to 50 spots
- Create zones dedicated to VAR and goal line technology
- Other minor enhancements
While these renovations are feasible within the time constraints, the mayor is adamant there is no money available in the city’s budget to pay for them.
“We don’t have the money, let’s hope we find some sponsors,” said Benevento’s sport councillor Enzo Lauro.
This situation will be discussed in depth in the coming days, as a commission has been setup between representatives of the city and the club technicians that will formulate a plan to schedule the work and ensure it meets the requirements of the FIGC to get the green light to use the stadium.
Needless to say, time is of the essence.
