September 11 – St Petersburg city officials have launched a tender for the completion of the Zenit Arena, which is currently being built on Krestovskiy island for the 2018 World Cup. The 61,251-capacity stadium will cost about €934 million. The total value of the contracts that will complete the project is RUB 9.14 billion (€190 million).
Vice-Governor Marat Oganesyan revealed the budget has been proved by the central government planning department. The stadium is now scheduled for delivery in August 2016.
The works still to be contracted include a moveable pitch, retractable roof and communications infrastructure.
Work first begun on the Zenit Arena in 2007 but hit delays as costs escalated. Three times the project was stopped and re-evalutated – in 2008, 2010 and 2013. Overall costs have risen from an initially projected RUB 6.7 billion to a possible RUB 43.8 billion.
The Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation had requested the cost was dropped to RUB 35 billion by cancelling the build of non-core areas. The budget for completion was reassessed and approved this year, taking the total cost to RUB 34.9 billion. Inzhtransstroi has been the main contractor on the project.
St Perersburg is issuing contracts for tender for a further RUB 2.87 billion (€60 million) to refurbish areas around the Kirov Stadium (demolished in 2006 to be replaced by the new Zenit Arena), to create new parking and landscaping of the area.
As well as hosting FIFA World Cup 2018 matches, St Petersburg is also on the shortlist for hosting group games in the 2020 UEFA European Championships. The UEFA bidding cities report made public this week says: “The stadium fully meets UEFA’s requirements in terms of capacity and accessibility and offers easy access to and from the parking areas close by.”
The stadium is also reported to meet safety and spectator welfare requirements, as well as having the required size and quality of the teams’ and referees’ dressing rooms, the match delegate’s and medical rooms and the doping control station. Hospitality and media facilities as well as additional space for temporary facilities, all meet UEFA standards.
The one concern for UEFA as regards awarding hosting rights to St Petersburg was over the “increasingly complex” political situation in Russia.
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