Stan Kroenke faces an embarrassing problem in his mega-expensive LA stadium with the pitch needing to be redeveloped after just 18 months if he wants to host World Cup games in 2026.

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 13: A general view of the national anthem during Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium on February 13, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 13: A general view of the national anthem during Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium on February 13, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

Despite spending between $3.8billion and $5billion on his SoFi Stadium, which sprawls over a 298-acre site in LA (three times larger than Disneyland), Stan Kroenke is facing having to fork out even more cash to fix an issue with the pitch if he wants to host the World Cup final.

The stadium, which can hold 70,000 people, does not meet FIFA’s pitch requirements and, if Kroenke wants his flagship project to be involved in the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, they will need to find a way to widen the pitch.

That seems like it would be a simple problem to sort but, apparently not, and there are now talks about having to raise the pitch in order to widen it.

sofi stadium

As you can see from the gif above, while there is some space to expand the sides of the pitch, you run in to major problems when you get to the corners.

American football pitches seem to be a standard size, unlike in football. They are 91.44m/300ft and 48.8m/160ft wide.

FIFA recommend that a football pitch should be 105m/345ft in length and 68m/223ft in width and, as you can see above, there is simply no room to extend the width of SoFi pitch by 63ft.

Even dealing with the length looks like it could be a challenge.

November 2021

Stan Kroenke buys $23.8m luxury 2nd apartment in Beverly Hills

Stan Kroenke, and his wife, Ann Walton Kroenke, heir to the Walmart fortune, have purchased a second luxury condo in the Maybourne Beverly Hills for a record price of $23.8m.

Maybourne Beverly Hills
Maybourne Beverly Hills

The 4,900-square-foot apartment in the complex where the Kroenke’s already own another unit, sits in the prestigious Golden Triangle section of Beverly Hills, bounded by Santa Monica Boulevard, Wilshire Boulevard and Crescent Drive.

It also includes the famous Rodeo Drive shopping district with names such as Breitling, Henry Jaques, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Dior, G-Star RAW, Prada, Alexander McQuee, Hermes (not the delivery people), Rolex, Tom Ford, Jimmy Choo, and many others all have flagship stores.

Rodeo Drive
Rodeo Drive

Kroenke bought his first apartment there 10 years ago.

Back in 2016, Stan Kroenke splashed $725m on the world’s highest-priced private estate when he purchased the Waggoner Ranch.

The property spans some 800 miles and is stretched out over six counties in north Texas and is said to be the largest ranch behind one fence.

An iconic ranch around three-hours drive from Dallas, the Waggoner was founded in 1849 and this is the first time it has been sold since it was established.

“This is an incredible opportunity and an even greater responsibility,” Kroenke said in a statement. “We are honoured to assume ownership of the Waggoner – a true Texas and American landmark.”

At the time of purchase, the ranch employed 120 people and 56,000 acres had been developed for oil with a further 450,000 untapped.

There are around 1,200 wells on the property and it produces approximately 35,000 barrels of oil a month.

You can see the ranch in the video below:

Stan Kroenke one of the stingiest billionaires in world

LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 29: Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke on the sidelines before playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 29, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 29: Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke on the sidelines before playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 29, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

Stan Kroenke may be worth a whole heap of money but that doesn’t mean he does anything good with it and in 2018 he was named one of the worst when it comes to charitable giving.

An investigation by Forbes in 2018 found that the Arsenal owner, who was then said to be worth a sickening $8.5bn, had donated a total of $1m to charity over his lifetime.

While, of course, $1m is a lot of money to most normal people, it is pennies for a billionaire, especially when compared to some others who have given away close to $1bn of their own money over their lifetimes.

Many don’t seem to realise the difference between 1 million and 1 billion, but this might help – If I ask you to wait for me for one million seconds, you’ll be hanging around for 11-and-a-half days. But if I ask you to wait one billion seconds, you won’t see me again for over 35 years.

To put it another way, the difference between a million and a billion is about a billion.

If you earned £40k-per-year for 20 years, you would have to give pennies over that period to give the same percentage as Stan Kroenke.

Kroenke, however, loves to take from the people, receiving (or demanding) state handouts to increase his profit margins.

You can read more about that below.

Forbes noted that it was possible that Kroenke donates anonymously and that his spokespeople did not respond to a request for clarification.

Stan Kronke set to profit from public once again

In 2019, Stan Kroenke won a legal fight that allowed him to purchase land owned by the public and valued at over $12m for just $1 in 2024.

LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 27: Stan Kroenke makes an appearance ahead of the game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 27, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 27: Stan Kroenke makes an appearance ahead of the game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 27, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

According to STL Today, “The deal that allowed the Rams to leave St. Louis has now given the team a parting gift — its 27-acre practice facility in Earth City, worth at least $12.7 million.

“An arbitration panel ruled on Wednesday that an option in the Rams training camp lease allows the departed National Football League team to buy the buildings, fields and grounds from the public in 2024 for just $1.

“That property, which also housed team offices, was once appraised by St. Louis County for nearly $19 million. But building values dropped, and it was appraised in 2019 for $12.7 million.”

“I’m disappointed,” said St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority board chairman Jim Shrewsbury. “It’s a significant asset, and it’s worth a significant amount of value.”

This is, sadly, part of Kroenke’s modus operandi – taking from the public to enrich his own pockets.