FIFA has agreed to City Hall's request to reduce the stadium capacity requirements for the 2018 soccer World Cup opening ceremony and final to 81,000.
The decision means that Moscow's Luzniki stadium — which is more than 10,000 seats short of the 89,000 usually required by FIFA — will not have to be demolished and rebuilt, Acting Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Monday.
The stadium was renovated as recently in the 1990s and Sobyanin was keen to avoid knocking down an "Olympic symbol" of Russia. Luzhniki was one of the main venues at the 1980 Summer Olympics.
However, the seating arrangements will be altered to satisfy FIFA requirements, because not all of the seats provide a good enough view of the pitch, Acting Deputy Mayor Marat Khusnullin said.
"The foundations, the walls and the roof of the stadium will be kept; the stands will be demolished and new ones will be built at a different angle," Khusnullin said in a report carried by Vedomosti.
City Hall will put 20 million rubles ($600 million) toward the reconstruction, the report said.
Luzhniki will be the main arena for the World Cup in 2018. It will be the first time Russia has hosted the tournament.
Khusnullin said the stadium's reconstruction will take four years, but it needs to be completed in time for the 2017 Confederations' Cup.
City authorities are planning to close the stadium after the IAAF World Championships in Athletics finish on Aug. 18.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
