The news ends a long-running saga over original plans to build the training hall in Maarjamäe, which a previous government had pledged €800,000 in support for.

The Maarjamäe location proved controversial due to the proximity of a memorial to the victims of communism.

The government declined to support building the planned hall at alternative locations in Pirita or Lasnamäe also.

Levadia board member Andrei Leškin said: "We can no longer delay the completion of the hall, and FCI Levadia will immediately begin the process of drafting the construction project for the football hall initially planned for Maarjamäe."

The Ministry of Finance confirmed to ERR that the 2021 government decision provides no basis for support for the construction of the football training hall in Pirita or Lasnamäe.

"The decision specifically allocated €800,000 from the government reserve to reach a compromise agreement with FC Levadia, and according to state budget rules, the funds must be used within the same fiscal year, with the option of carrying over to the next fiscal year," the ministry stated.

"On the basis of these rules, the funds were transferred to the 2022 budget, and the deadline for their use passed at the end of that year. Unfortunately, the compromise agreement was not reached by then," the statement continued.

The club reported that Finance Minister Mart Võrklaev sent the communique on Tuesday which indicated that his ministry is withdrawing from the 2021 order, put in place by a previous administration, to allocate €800,000 from the government reserve by way of a compromise with FCI Levadia.

Leškin said that the government's decision breaks a covenant with those members of the public who did not want to see a football hall built next to the Maarjamäe Memorial to the Victims of Communism.

"We do not want to set the memorial to the victims of communism in contrast with the football hall in any way; both facilities are extremely necessary," he added.

The 2021 agreement, Levadia says, took on board the wishes of those interest groups who did not want the facility built in Maarjamäe, and included an entry on government support for it being built elsewhere, for instance in nearby Pirita, or in Lasnamäe.

Back in late 2005, Levadia signed a lease agreement with state real estate agency Riigi Kinnisvara AS, granting the football club the use and building rights of a Maarjamäe stadium for a 36-year term, ie. to the end of 2041.

The Maarjamäe memorial at Pirita tee 78, overlooking Tallinn Bay, was not built until 2018.

The facility would primarily permit winter training for children and youth teams, totaling up to 700 young players.

It would be partly funded by the Estonian FA, the EJK, but its maintenance would be Levadia's responsibility.

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