World Cup: Can Russia get its act together in time?
The 2018 FIFA World Cup is less than 3 months away but the football stadiums of Russia are not ready yet for hosting the premier football tournament. The construction of the Samara Arena, also known as the Cosmos Arena, was scheduled to be completed in December 2017. But it is still incomplete. This raises serious questions about Russia's readiness for the tournament.
World Cup arena is still without a pitch
"There is a huge amount of work to be done. Obviously, we would expect further progress than this." FIFA Chief Competitions & Events Officer, Colin Smith said after inspecting the stadium on March 21.
The stadium construction has been delayed by 4 months
Delays have been caused due to construction approvals. The completion date was pushed back from December 2017 to March 2018 and then again to the end of April. The first test game will be held on April 28 and Russia will be hoping that it can lay down the pitch in time for this game.
Russia is behind schedule for FIFA World Cup
The grass for this pitch will now be imported from Germany to prevent further problems. Other Russian arenas have also been plagued with similar delays. To add to it, temperatures are dropping steadily due to Russia facing one of the coldest winters in years. The organisers want to hold two or three trial matches, but will they have enough time in hand?
