If you check the sports page on CNN.com right this moment, the current featured article is on Kuwait’s abandoned Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium. The stadium which was completed back in 2007 has only been used once since then for an officially sanctioned match.
I just read the article and I’m still confused to why the stadium is closed. Supposedly what I heard is what everyone else had heard which is the stadium had a structural fault. But, according to the article, the contractor and the stadium’s security chief have both denied there is any kind of fault in the building. Yet the article also states that the Amiri Diwan have now taken over the project and have hired a new contractor who is currently in the process of repairing the building. So was there a fault or wasn’t there a fault? I don’t get it. Check out the article on CNN [Here]
19 replies on “Step inside $190M ‘ghost’ stadium”
What I heard when Real Madrid came here to play was the field/stadium is tilted at one side so they cant hold the match there.
There was another time the stadium was used, and that when Kuwait won the Gulf Cup back in 2010. It hosted the National team and celebrated their achievement. The stadium was PACKED! And honestly it was incredible and so much fun.
Here are two videos to show you what I mean when we went and it was packed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAg1YAI5Pwo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swegUYxcfEE
Such a shame it is in its current state.
I think there is a structural fault.
i think maybe it’s because Kuwait sucks.
Maybe.
Kuwait does not suck.
Maybe just a little 🙂
No country is perfect, therefore all country sucks, a little. 😉
one 10 storey new building is being demolished in Salmiya front of Udupi restaurant. The reason for demolition, no idea. But it is very heartbreaking to see these kind of demolitions of new buildings.
Heard that Al Rashid Hospital has taken those buildings for the expansion.
So THAT’S the reason why this stadium is abandoned!
Structural faults as someone cut corners on the building materials and engineering, in order to instead pocket large amounts of money………..Kuwait.
there is structural fault in the stadium, the disk like roof was tilted the day it was handover by mep contractor. there was case going on what i believe, also the floor of the stadium is uneven when the teams played on the ground they found out that the ball was going on one side. Now amiri diwan will rectify all the faults in the stadium.
when construction was completed, the MPW team approved the stadium and it was handed over to them from Kharafi. The MPW team did not do a thorough check as they were supposed to. Basically, the problems with the stadium are:
– poor playing surface
– deep cracks in some base columns
The playing surface was replaced and it seems to be of high quality. The cracks are an issue that can be fixed, but will cost. Amiri Diwan took over the stadium and will fix it at a cost of 8 Million KD. Amiri Diwan people said that this is an issue that is fixable and their solution will fix it permanently.
In the end, the stadium will host the upcoming Gulf Cup in December
I thought it was close because there was no starbucks inside.
if they want to use it they should build a mall around it.
Hahahahahahaha best reply
I know the current contractor fixing the problems. There are several structural damage and was built improperly. The original contractor cut corners and tried to save money but failed to build a proper stadium.
Welcome to the World Center Of Governmental Corruption!
I’m Kuwaiti by the way….
As from what the article stated, the stadium was supposed to be a replica of Emirates stadium (where Arsenal plays) at a cost of just under $730M Dollars. This stadium was built with a $190M. I think the problem is that the original planning of the budget made whoever was the project manager cut a ton of corners to get the stadium up without doing a full check (and more than likely money being donated to the right coffers). This isn’t like building the Houston Astrodome (which if it was built today would only cost $260M).
I met with the Deputy of the Ministry of a Public Works. He claimed that there is nothing wrong with the building, but that the requesting entity (the Public Authority of Youth and Sport) does not have the required manpower or expertise to run and maintain the stadium.