Tiberias Stadium Construction Delays Frustrate Soccer Club

Construction of the new Tiberias stadium, intended to seat approximately 7,500 spectators at an estimated cost of 160 million shekels, is facing significant delays, causing frustration for the local soccer club, Ironi Tiberias. While municipal officials express cautious optimism and aim for a January completion, the club's owner fears they won't be able to host league games there this season.

The club's owner, Aryeh Kalmanzon, stated, "I don't see the stadium becoming a stadium that hosts Premier League games this season. I hope I'm wrong, but based on what I see, it's not something that can host within 3-4 months." He added that the delays, which have persisted since 2021, result in financial losses from subscriptions and sponsors, noting, "It's very frustrating." Kalmanzon believes the mayor is making efforts, but they are insufficient.

Municipal engineering officials explained that work is currently focused on the eastern and northern stands, with the western section nearly complete, excluding a chair replacement. Changing rooms and broadcast booths are ready. They anticipate the arrival of the stands within a month and are finalizing plans for a full stadium roof, which will take four to six months to produce and install in stages.

City officials responded to the club's concerns by stating that the pace of work will increase. They explained that the current phase requires specialized professionals to work sequentially, limiting the visible number of workers. Once the stands are in place, more workers can operate simultaneously. The municipality projects a move into the stadium around January, calling it the team's best "reinforcement" for the season, and advised the club to focus on soccer while engineers handle construction.

Ironi Tiberias has been training at the current stadium for nearly a year and claims the pace of work is slow, with few workers on site daily. The club's initial expectation was to play in the stadium by 2021.