Basketball CSKA will soon be left without its home arena and may move from Moscow to another city.
This is due to the plans to demolish the A. Ya. Gomelsky CSKA Universal Sports Complex, where the army team plays VTB United League matches.
They will remain at their home stadium until the end of the season, after which they will be forced to look for a new place to play and train.
In the summer, USK CSKA will be dismantled, and a new sports complex will be built in its place.
This was told by Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov, whose department is the owner of the building.
According to him, the arena on Leningradsky Prospekt no longer meets modern requirements and needs to be replaced.
“It is morally outdated, instead of it we will build a new modern complex, which will have a 50-meter swimming pool, two basketball halls.
There will also be a new medical dispensary.
We plan to complete the construction of a modern complex in its place by the end of 2022.
We have already received 3.5 billion rubles from the federal budget, and by June 1 we will receive another 2 billion from the Moscow government.
The first money has already been received, construction work has already begun, ”TASS quotes Ivanov.
The entire complex of sports facilities located near the Aeroport metro station will also be reconstructed.
A Defense Ministry spokesman said the old buildings are planned to be vacated by June 1.
“Three sites are being considered for construction: on Leningradsky Prospekt, Peschanaya Street and CSK Navy.
As part of the reconstruction, four blocks fall into the building spot: martial arts and tennis sports palaces, a swimming pool and a gymnasium, on Peschanaya we are building a large climbing wall and reconstructing two football fields.
Now the construction of USK "Start" with six tennis courts has been completed, so we can painlessly relocate the entire tennis school so that it continues its work.
We also plan to build a new martial arts center there.
By June 1, we want to vacate the existing buildings and by the same time ensure the construction readiness on Peschanaya, where we will build an additional pool to continue training, ”Ivanov added.
The president of the basketball club, Andrei Vatutin, confirmed that the army team will have to move out of the arena, which they have been renting for almost 30 years.
They will lose not only the venue for the matches, but also other facilities of the club infrastructure.
“At the end of December we received a notice of termination of the contract after six months, and for us this news struck like a bolt from the blue.
In fact, by June, CSKA basketball is on the street.
Therefore, formally, there is a possibility that the main team will not be able to fully complete the season.
The problem here is not that we have nowhere to play.
Of course, we will find a hall that meets the requirements of the Euroleague and VTB League.
The question is that at the same time we find ourselves deprived of a training base for three teams - the main one and two youth teams.
In addition, we are losing a medical and rehabilitation center, office, shop, museum, warehouse, and the entire club infrastructure.
The most titled club in the country, the European grand, turns out to be homeless, "Vatutin told Sport-Express.
The head of CSKA agreed that USK is already morally outdated as a sports arena, and the construction of a training base for various sports in its place is necessary.
At the same time, the club does not have a ready-made option where it could move in the near future.
According to Vatutin, the organization of the move should have taken at least two years.
“Now we are faced with a larger and more difficult task than winning the Euroleague.
More precisely, two tasks, tactical and strategic.
The first one forces us to urgently look for a temporary location for the club and three teams.
The second requires two or three years and serious investments for the construction of an arena or club base.
For ten years Barcelona has been running around with the project of moving to a new hall, feeding the Euroleague breakfast, but no one kicks it out of the outdated Blaugrana, which USK CSKA does not hold a candle.
Six months is not a time for a grandiose move that will not disrupt the activities of the club and all its teams.
Now that we have delved into the problem, we understand that the upcoming demolition of the arena should have been announced at least two years in advance, ”said the president of CSKA.
Vatutin did not rule out that now one of the best clubs in Europe will be forced to leave Moscow, since it will be too expensive to create a new base with a modern arena in the capital.
There is a possibility that CSKA will settle in Megasport, where they play Euroleague matches, but this arena is used for many different events not related to basketball.
In addition, it lacks the necessary training rooms and office for the club.
USK CSKA was built in 1979 to host basketball competitions during the Olympic Games in Moscow.
Its capacity is 5000 spectators.
In 2005, the arena was named after the great coach Alexander Gomelsky.
The Ministry of Defense noted that now the sports complex is badly worn out, and its replacement with a new one will have to improve the image of CSKA.
“At the moment, the club's home arena has a high degree of deterioration and does not meet modern standards and requirements.
On the site of the existing building of the USK named after Gomelsky, it is planned to build a new universal sports complex.
The new multifunctional arena will contribute to strengthening the image of CSKA and will become a symbol of modern Moscow due to its unique architectural appearance and unique building solutions, ”the department noted.
Veteran of the club Ivan Edeshko reacted negatively to the possible departure of basketball CSKA from Moscow.
The Olympic champion expressed bewilderment that the army team found themselves in such a difficult situation for them.
“Have you seen justice in this world when money is everything?
Probably not seen.
How to understand this?
Where is the concern for the people who go there enjoy sports?
Where will they go, what will happen to them?
And what will happen to the children when all the sports facilities are killed?
To destroy the old, prayed, I think it is wrong.
It's a shame - not the right word.
Where will CSKA move to?
What other city?
How can you leave Moscow? "
- said Edeshko News.ru.