SOCCER-RUSSIA/WORLD CUP-SOCHI Sochi reconstructs Olympic stadium to host 2018 World Cup matches

Record ID: 147138

  • Title: SOCCER-RUSSIA/WORLD CUP-SOCHI Sochi reconstructs Olympic stadium to host 2018 World Cup matches
  • Date: 14th July 2015
  • Summary: SOCHI, RUSSIA (JULY 13, 2015) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF FISHT OLYMPIC STADIUM SEEN FROM OUTSIDE ENTRANCE TO STADIUM STADIUM SEEN FROM STANDS VARIOUS OF WORKERS RECONSTRUCTING STANDS VARIOUS OF STADIUM FIELD UNDER RECONSTRUCTION KRASNODAR REGION CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY MINISTER, VALERY ZHUKOV, TALKING TO MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) KRASNODAR REGION CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY MINISTER,
  • Embargoed: 29th July 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAD301TCRYI7UA4FE0SN81C4ZJF
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Russia's preparations for the 2018 FIFA World Cup are in full swing as the country gets 11 cities ready to host the tournament in three years time.
    The Local Organising Committee are currently showing journalists around the 11 World Cup cities to show how the work is going.
    Russia's city of Sochi reconstructs Fisht stadium, where the opening and the closing ceremonies the Winter Olympics 2014 took place.
    More than 100 workers and 20 construction machines are currently renovating the stands and the grounds of the sports venue.
    According to Itar-Tass news agency quotes Krasnodar Region Construction Industry Minister, Valery Zhukov, as saying that the arena will be expanded to host 45,000 spectators by 2016.
    Zhukov expressed hopes that the arena will host semi-finals.
    "I wish at least semi-final matches - the teams, I respect all the teams that will take part - (I wish) that the semi-final matches would happen at this stadium. And life will show, the game will show," he said, adding that politics are unlikely to affect the World Cup.
    "Politics really take up a lot of time in our life, but it does not affect the reconstruction of the stadium in particular. As to the opinions, today the international committees, and the FIFA will sort out everything. So as to the championship, we are preparing, we are waiting. Russia loves soccer," Zhukov said.
    Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko said on July 8 there was no threat of Russia being stripped of the World Cup due to the impending change of FIFA president or the FBI probe into alleged corruption at world soccer's governing body.
    The FBI is investigating widespread allegations of FIFA corruption going back more than two decades, while the Swiss authorities are probing the voting mechanism that saw Russia win the right to stage the next edition and Qatar the 2022 finals.
    Russia has been a staunch ally of outgoing FIFA chief Sepp Blatter over the years and have supported him during his 17 years as president, and Mutko praised the 79-year-old Swiss.
    Blatter said last month he was "laying down his mandate" just days after winning a fifth term and less than a week after police arrested seven FIFA officials in a dawn raid in Zurich.
    FIFA's executive committee meets on July 20 in Zurich to determine when an extraordinary congress will be held to elect a new president on a date between December and March next year.
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