Works on the Villa Alegre de Encarnación stadium are currently stopped. Photo: Carlos Juri/Nation Media.
The Yacyretá Binational Entity (EBY) promoted legal measures against the Liga Encarnacena de Fútbol (LEF) for the case of the Villa Alegre stadium. The matrix of soccer incarnated alleges that the coliseum is not complete, nor is it functional, so it does not intend to receive the work.
In communication with Deportes HOY, Hugo Barreto, who in his time as president of the LEF signed the agreement with EBY, confirmed that the League is working on responding to the lawsuit.
“The demand is for the purpose of receiving the structure built for the stadium. They want to force us to receive (the work) ”, he indicated.
Barreto explained that EBY’s arguments are based on loopholes in the agreement. For sure, the first stage of the work is already completed, but the stadium itself is not functional as it lacks the necessary equipment and access.
“It does not serve us like this unfinished, today there is no access to enter the stadium. They argue that it is already finished at this stage, but it is of no use to us”.
Despite the position of the EBY, the leaders of the Encarnacena League hope to at least specify the accesses and the equipment and keep a capacity of 15,000 spectators, in what would be a “provisional reception” of the work.
The confidence of the LEF is knowing that such a structure -if it is functional- could generate enough income to promote the second stage (30,000 spectators) already with sponsors and private initiatives.
“If it works, we can bring (to Encarnación) matches from the national team, Libertadores and Sudamericana. First Division teams, and that will generate what to maintain the stadium with and other things, ”he mentioned.
Just as the panorama paints, the Encarnacena League stadium runs the risk of repeating the history of the Tacuru Pucu Sports Center in Hernandarias. That enclosure was stopped 25 years – from 1993, until it was put in conditions for its opening again, already in the government of Horacio Cartes, who re-impelled the work after turning it into a thicket.
At that time, the construction was possible thanks to the social contributions of Itaipu. The Encarnación stadium is a work undertaken by the Yacyretá Binational Entity.
Barreto acknowledged that there is some fear that something similar will happen with Villa Alegre. However, he was convinced of -with the corresponding political efforts- reaching an agreement that would save the venue from being a ‘white elephant’.
