By Ivan Saldajeno
MANILA — The iconic Rizal Memorial Stadium will become a football-exclusive venue as the renovation of the 92-year-old pitch gets underway.
Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chair Pato Gregorio confirmed on Sunday that the athletic track that makes Rizal Memorial dual-sport-purposed will be removed to make it “soccer-specific,” as part of a major makeover in partnership with the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).
No less than FIFA president Gianni Infantino visited the stadium and personally handed a USD20 million (PHP1.28 billion) grant to the PSC through a memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed at the PSC House.
Gregorio said all athletics will move to the PhilSports Complex in Pasig as part of its major renovation.
“The PSC Board has approved the total renovation of the track and field in PhilSports. The PSC has approved the master plan of the Rizal Memorial Coliseum,” he said.
Gregorio added that separating operations at the Rizal Memorial Stadium and the PhilSports Complex ensures both venues can host world-class football and athletics events.
“Kailangan gawin nating world-class yung football; gawin rin nating world-class yung track. Pag magkasama, parehong hindi world-class yan (We need to make football world-class; we also need to make track world-class. As it stands, neither one is world-class),” he said.
He said the renovation of the PhilSports Complex has already been approved by the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association and Asian Athletics.
Meanwhile, the MOA signing formalized FIFA and the Philippine Football Federation’s (PFF) approval of the Rizal Memorial Stadium overhaul.
PFF president John Gutierrez and former chief Nonong Araneta, currently a member of the FIFA board, were also present at the MOA signing.
Gregorio said the Rizal Memorial Stadium upgrade will begin in January with a target completion timeline of 15 months.
Once completed, the venue can accommodate up to 25,000 football fans. (PNA)
