Saudi Arabia's plans "to dramatically increase the size and scope" of football stadiums around the country have "been shelved" because of the impact of falling oil prices, according to Matt Smith of REUTERS. Under plans announced by the late King Abdullah -- who died in January -- 11 "new grounds were to be built as a means of growing the domestic game in the kingdom." However three construction industry sources said that "only two stadiums will go up as state funding has been hit by a fall in prices." The stadium program, also designed to coincide with the privatization of the 14 football clubs in the Saudi Professional League, "was aimed at enriching the domestic game and improving the national team." A senior exec at a construction company who was privy to the tendering process said, "We're now led to believe only two new stadiums will be built -- in (the eastern city) Dammam and one in either Mecca or Medina." A senior exec said the stadium plan "has been shelved." He said, "They said they will go ahead with two of them, but I think it will take a while before anything happens." The Ministry of Finance and Aramco "did not respond to requests for comment" (REUTERS, 6/3).
