A FORMER World Cup stadium has been branded no longer fit for purpose just 21 years after its last renovation.
The Waldstadion has been the home of side Eintracht Frankfurt since 1925.
It’s undergone several renovations over the years, with the most recent being completed in 2005 ahead of the and World Cup the following summer.
That transformed the Waldstadion, which is known as Deutsche Bank Park for sponsorship reasons, into a football-only stadium.
The renovation increased the ground’s capacity to 60,100 fans and saw it installed with a fully retractable roof.
The ground, which holds 53,800 fans when it’s turned into an all-seater venue, is by no means decrepit.
But Eintracht president Axel Hellmann reckons its days are numbered and that the club must start making preparations to build a new stadium.
At a recent club members’ meeting, Hellmann said: “If we don’t start preparing plans for the stadium now, we won’t have a new venue in ten years.”
Hellmann and other Eintracht bigwigs want to build a brand-spanking-new 80,000-seater stadium.
Decisions on the ambitious new project are expected to be made early next year.
The Eintracht brass are, however, also open to further revamping the Waldstadion should plans for a brand new stadium be knocked back.
They’re hoping to have a heavily revamped Waldstadion or an entirely new ground completed by 2038.
That proposed timeline could align with rumoured German bids for the 2038 and 2032 World Cups.
