Abu Dhabi General Services (Musanada) has put on hold its planned AED350m ($95m) football stadium at Baniyas City.

Musanada has put the scheme on hold while it waits for feedback from the project client Baniyas Sports Club, says a source close to the project. It is not clear if and when the project will restart.

Musanada had received bids in late November from contractors for the deal to build the 20,000-seat stadium. Contractors have now been informed that the tender has been cancelled (MEED 3:12:09).

The project’s masterplan includes a shopping centre, a tennis club, commercial buildings and parking areas. The consultant is France’s Roger Taillibert. Musanada is handling the project on behalf of Baniyas Sports & Cultural Club. Its football team plays in the UAE Football League.

Baniyas City is located in Abu Dhabi emirate between Abu Dhabi city and Al-Ain.

The local Baniyas Investment & Development (BID), the investment arm of Baniyas Sports Club, is building a AED2.2bn mixed-use development next to the stadium. The scheme will be called Bawabat al-Sharq and the 1-square-kilometre development will include residential, retail and entertainment buildings.

Abu Dhabi is currently tendering a much larger stadium that is estimated to cost $1bn to build.

Five contracting groups are preparing to submit bids on June 21 for the 65,000-seat football stadium that will have a retractable roof.

They prequalifiers are France’s Bouygues with the local/Lebanese Arabian Construction Company (ACC); South Korea’s Samsung Corporation and Germany’s Ed Zueblin; Japan’s Taisei Corporation and Beijing-based China State Construction Engineering Corporation; France’s Vinci Grands Projets with Athens-based Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC), and China’s Sinohydro Corporation (MEED 24:5:10).

The stadium will be built at the Capital City District development next to Khalifa City, between Mussafah and Abu Dhabi International airport.

UK firms Mott MacDonald and Arup are the project manager and engineering consultant respectively. Davis Langdon, also of the UK, is the cost consultant.

Government-owned investment firm Mubadala Development Company is the client.