Reconstruction of Chegrane stadium unfinished; contract terminated
Contract signed in March 2023 for about €112,000, around €70,000 paid; Ministry says contract was terminated on 10 November 2025.
The planned reconstruction of the football stadium in the village of Chegrane, Gostivar — which tender documents set to finish by December 2023 — remains unfinished on the ground and the facility is now in a state of ruin.
Nearly three years after the contract deadline, there is no grass on the pitch and the sports infrastructure is non-functional. Local residents describe the sight of a ruined stadium instead of a renovated facility as their greatest disappointment.
“Thank God, it is needed. Everything that can be made new is welcome, but the stadium, as far as I can see, is a catastrophe. The renovation should be done and it should be looked at a little better.”
“But those who are doing it — how they are doing it, God only knows. Someone took a tender. And it stayed like this. Now Chegrane uses [the stadium] in Gostivar. So thanks to them that they open it.”
Analysis by the Center for Civic Communications found that the Agency for Youth and Sports signed a contract in March 2023 with a contractor for a project valued at around €112,000; to date about €70,000 has been paid. The Electronic System for Public Procurement contains no contract annexes. Documents from a supervising company claim work was underway, but a second supervision visit in 2025 recorded no construction activity.
Questions about oversight and accountability
“The case in Chegrane is an egregious example of weaknesses in the control of contract implementation for public procurements. Despite clear deadlines, supervision and contractual penalties for delays, the contract expired, a significant portion of funds was disbursed, and the stadium was not put into operation. The absence of a clear answer on whether measures were taken for non-fulfillment of the contract raises the question of whether existing control mechanisms actually ensure accountability in the implementation of public procurements, meaning accountability in the spending of public money,” the Center for Civic Communications said.
The Ministry of Sport, as the legal successor to the Agency for Youth and Sports, responded that it has taken legal measures based on documentation. It said the contract was terminated on 10 November 2025 due to the contractor's failure to fulfill contractual obligations and that the ministry collected the bank guarantee for proper and timely execution of the contract in the amount of 5% of its value. The ministry also said it will continue efforts to create conditions for completing the project so the sports field can be put into use.
Photo: press material from the event
