Vladimir Putin won’t accept his underlings only trying to finish their 2018 FIFA World Cup jobs.
The President of Russia warned his presidential council for sports Tuesday against complacency over delays in building stadiums that will host World Cup games next summer. Having heard Russia’s sports minister Pavel Kolobkov confirm some stadium sites are behind schedule, Putin told the council he won’t accept the idea of a global audience watching games played in unfinished venues in his country.
“Any delays in the preparation for the World Cup are inadmissible,” Putin, according to Sky Sports. “Solving problems is mostly complicated at the final stage and we should pay very special attention to it.
“In the final stage, it may seem that everything is done. But if something hasn’t been completed it means that nothing has been done. And if we (allow ourselves to) relax, we’ll never bring things to a close.”
Brazil spent around $15 billion to host the 2014 World Cup, but delays in completing stadiums, cancellations to related infrastructure projects and the deaths of at least eight workers were sources of embarrassment for organizers.
Russia is spending around $11 billion to host the 2018 World Cup, and Putin wants the job done on time.
Of the 12 World Cup venues, the slow progress in building the stadium in Samara, Russia, is causing the most concern, and tournament organizers “fired” the original company tasked with constructing the venue.
Nevertheless, Kolobkov assures Putin plans are in place to complete Samara’s stadium in time for the 2018 World Cup.
“There are some delays at different stages of construction at the stadium in Samara,” Kolobkov said. “A timetable for making up for the delays and (a system) for the daily monitoring of the venue’s completion have been established.”
The World Cup will begin June 14 and run through July 15, when the final will take place in Moscow at Luzhniki Stadium.
Thumbnail photo via Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY Sports Images
