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FOOTBALL

Zurich to save millions in stadium court battle

The city of Zurich will be breathing a sigh of relief after a court ordered it to pay 340,000 francs ($353,000) instead of a potential 23 million francs ($24 million) to leading Swiss construction company Implenia.

Zurich to save millions in stadium court battle
The Letzigrund stadium was built for Euro 2008. Photo: ND Strupler

The city has been embroiled in a legal battle with Implenia over the construction of Zurich's Letzigrund stadium, which was built for the 2008 Euro football championships held in Switzerland and Austria.

The construction company, whose head office is in Dietlikon near Zurich, was claiming an additional 23 million francs  to cover 1,392 modifications to the stadium which it said increased the final cost of the project, according to news agency ATS.

In its 220-page verdict given on Friday, a district court rejected the majority of Implenia’s arguments, judging that the city should pay just 340,000 francs to the construction company.

The ruling in the city’s favour means Implenia must also cover the city’s court costs of 370,000 francs and pay 98.5 percent of the 490,000 legal bill.

The city authorities are – understandably – satisfied by the judgement, said ATS.

The ruling means that the final cost for the stadium is 100 million francs, just under the amount budgeted.

In a statement,  Implenia said “An initial assessment suggests that the court’s reasoning fails to engage with Implenia’s arguments.”

“Implenia is of the unchanged opinion that the city must pay for the alterations it asked for and that were carried out.”

The company added it was “considering its next steps with regard to the two remaining courts of appeal.”

The legal tussle between the two parties is set to continue in any case, since the city has also lodged a complaint against Implenia for an alleged leak in the stadium’s roof.

The city is demanding the roof be fixed or compensation of 10 million francs.

“Implenia decidedly rejects the allegations and the related demands,” said the construction company.

A sports ground was first built on the Letzigrund site in 1925, owned by FC Zurich.

It was extended and reconstructed several times before being demolished in 2006 to make way for the new stadium.

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RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

https://twitter.com/GravesenFumado/status/1764242481984491822

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

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