Blanc calls for new stadium for Bordeaux

Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc on Monday called for a new stadium to be built for the French champions with a view to France hosting the 2016 European football championships.

“If we don’t take advantage of Bordeaux’s results over the past two and a half years by building a new stadium, new grounds, a new structure which will allow us to have new financial resources, it’s absurd,” said Blanc, a 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 winner.

Bordeaux will be one of 12 cities to feature in France’s bid to host Euro 2016, and have presented a project which would cost between 180 and 200 million euros.

Bordeaux football club whould finance half of the project, which their coach finds unreasonable.

“Do you know many clubs who invest this much in French projects?” said Blanc. “If it doesn’t happen I think personally we’ll have missed a phenomenal opportunity.

“When you don’t go forward in life and football you regress.

“I know that this won’t please many in this gloomy period when there are other priorities. I say that in my area, my sport, football, there are opportunities not to be missed.”

The new stadium would be financed up to the tune of 20 million euros by the state with the city of Bordeaux and the Bordeaux Urban Community (CUB) giving 15 million euros each.

Bordeaux major Alain Juppe has also suggested the possibility of the stadium being named after a sponsor who would pay up to 10 million euros.

The club currently play in the 34,694-seater Jacques-Chaban-Delmas stadium which was overhauled for the 1998 World Cup.