Atrás
GREMIO hope to complete a deal that will see them finally own their Arena do Gremio home in Porto Alegre.
The Brazilian giants – which Ronaldinho played for between 1998 and 2001 – moved into the swanky 55,225-seater stadium in 2013.
Up to now, however, Arena do Gremio has belonged to private companies OAS 26 and Karagounis.
This could be about to change, with Gremio set to use the site of their former Estadio Olimpico Monumental in a remarkable swap deal.
According to StadiumDB, provisional documents completing the swap were signed on October 30.
But there remain a few loose ends to tie up before the arrangement can go ahead.
Gremio’s deliberative council will meet next Monday to vote on the agreement.
One issue to resolve will be the percentage of revenue that Gremio still stand to make from future developments on their old stadium site.
It will also need to be decided how outstanding tax liabilities are settled, as well as when the Estadio Olimpico Monumental will be demolished.
Current renovation work on Arena do Gremio will still be paid for by OAS 26, rather than the club.
Gremio have already managed the Arena do Gremio site since last year.
Entrepreneur Marcelo Marques paid around £6.7m for Gremio to take control of the stadium’s management.
Marques also forked out to take on a share of the arena’s debt, previously held by Brazilian real estate company Revee.
It is not yet known exactly what will be done with the Estadio Olimpico Monumental site following the old stadium’s demolition.
Last year it was speculated that residential homes will be built in the area.
Arena do Gremio is Brazil’s seventh-largest football stadium and the biggest in Porto Alegre.
It has hosted Brazil national team matches, as well as several games during the 2019 Copa America.
Arena do Gremio is also a regular concert venue, with the likes of Guns N’ Roses, Ed Sheeran, Katy Perry, Shakira and Coldplay having performed there.
Gremio themselves have an extremely proud history, having twice been champions of Brazil.
They also won the Intercontinental Cup in 1983, beating Hamburg to become world champions.