Before its stands fell silent, the Abbasiyyin Stadium was a sports icon in the Syrian capital, home to the national team and premier league clubs. However, with the intensification of war, the stadium lost its sports role and became a military barracks, removing it from the football scene for over a decade.
Despite multiple attempts to rehabilitate it, the Abbasiyyin Stadium remains out of service, as the Ministry of Sports shifts its approach from the idea of “sports restoration” to a broader investment project that may revive the site but in a different form.
Damaged ground and out of international rankings
According to Nasser al-Khatib, the media coordinator at the Ministry of Sports and Youth, the damage to the stadium was not superficial. “The playing field is no longer suitable for any sports activity, and the infrastructure has been completely damaged,” al-Khatib stated to Enab Baladi, explaining that it was used as a military barracks during the years of war, exacerbating its condition.
The ministry enlisted local and international experts to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the stadium, and studies concluded that it no longer meets the minimum standards required to host matches under international federations, rendering it currently out of the list of eligible stadiums.
From stadium to multi-purpose project
Due to insufficient funding, the ministry is now adopting a new vision to transform the stadium into a multi-functional facility that includes not only sports but also commercial and cultural aspects. This transformation, as al-Khatib explained, will occur in partnership with the private sector through investment models such as “BOT” and “PPP,” and is intended to ensure the preservation of public ownership of the site and generate community and economic returns.
It seems that the project aims not only to revive the stadium but also to redefine it as a facility serving the capital from multiple angles, the specifics of which will later be determined within a terms of reference to be presented to investors.
After the dissolution of the General Sports Federation and the transfer of its functions to the Ministry of Sports and Youth, the latter has become the sole authority responsible for managing sports facilities, including the Abbasiyyin Stadium, meaning that any decision regarding its future, whether rehabilitation or investment, directly falls to the ministry without any intermediary entity.
No dates or plans
Its central location and history dating back to 1957 make the Abbasiyyin Stadium an open file for future ideas that could allow for the investment of some of its components in accompanying or alternative sports projects.
Enab Baladi had previously reported on the state of sports facilities in the capital, describing attempts to restore the Tishreen Stadium as “limited efforts lacking a strategic vision,” which could also apply to the Abbasiyyin Stadium if plans are not translated into practical implementation.
As of now, there is no clear date for the commencement of any project related to the stadium, as the ministry is still in the preparation and study phase. If partnerships with investors are established, the stadium may witness a new transformation that brings it back to the forefront, even if not in the footballing format it was once known for.
In the absence of internationally qualified sports facilities in Damascus, the Abbasiyyin Stadium remains a suspended sports memory and a postponed opportunity, waiting for someone to blow the whistle for a new beginning that not only returns activity to an abandoned stadium but also restores something of Syrian sports’ past.
Rehabilitation of Abbasiyyin Stadium… No plan in sight Enab Baladi.
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