Kafra International Stadium
In 2 AFN (After Formation of Nedalia), Nedalia formed and sent out an U21 squad with no prior experience to the U21 WC 14, where they proceeded to give the universe one of the most memorable U21 runs in history. The Lions advanced to the finals of the tournament, knocking out such heavyweights as Sarzonia and Crystilakere on the rugged path the team took. Coming home as heroes, the government and President Bren, who had incidentally just found the Nedalia Liberal Party (NLP), attempted to play on the public’s infatuation with the sport and announce the construction of a new stadium to accommodate home international matches.
The public immediately ate it up, but the government was stuck with a big problem now: where in the world were they going to come up with the $65 million to fund this grand project. They was very little help from the private sector, who predicted little return on their investments despite the government offering sponsorship deals and exclusive facilities in the grounds. While support for the NLP was on the rise, news that the stadium would have to be scrapped all together would certainly lose the trust the citizens had in the Nedalian government, which was dominated by the NLP. That is when Minister of Sport Nader Homsi came up with a genius idea.
Nader Homsi took the opportunity to present to President Bren a proposal to start up the Nedalia Premier League. Not only would this bring money in, but it would also develop the nation’s footballing future as well as the people’s interest in the sport (not like that was needed anyway, the Nedalians are fanatics for it). The proposal was initially met with criticism from the rest of the government, who thought the money that would have to be put into the league would have better use elsewhere. President Bren, who liked the idea, ignored the criticism, and gave the Nedalia Premier League proposal the go-ahead.
The NPL garnered immediate worldwide attention, bringing money from foreign and local investors alike. The funding was quickly made available to Minister Homsi to begin construction of the Kafra International Stadium, and Homsi wasted no time in starting work on it. Putting an absurd number of construction companies on the job, it took just 4 months to complete the stadium, in time for the WC22 qualifying campaign.
The stadium was a wonderful piece of architecture was originally planned to have a capacity of just 67,000, but once construction began, the officials in charge realized they could fit atleast another 20,000 there, and so adjustments were made. Upon completion, this all seater stadium can now fit 94,000 people. A marvel of architecture, but more importantly, a home for the Nedalia Lions.
