By Richard van Poortvliet
April 16 – The ‘Fisht’ Stadium in Sochi has been a bit of a lonely place following the conclusion of the Winter Olympics and Paralympics. However this should change soon after the news that Sochi Zhemchuzhina are going to get another lease of life.
The team went out of business three years ago, but Russia’s Minister of Sport, Vitaly Mutko announced that the club will make a return to professional football and play in the ‘Fisht’ stadium, which was used to hold the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the 2014 Winter Olympics.
“The Stadium will be handed over to the Krasnodar Region and they have everything at their disposal which abides to the standards set by FIFA. The stadium will soon have a football club. We will return the traditions of Sochi’s Zhemchuzhina”, Mutko stated to the internet agency ITAR-TASS.
FC Zhemchuzhina, which means pearl in Russia, were founded in 1991. From 1993 to 1999, they played in the Russian First Division, a level down from the Russian Premier League. In 2003, the club disbanded, only to be reformed four years later.
Despite a large publicity campaign last time around, the team were unable to gain promotion to the country’s top flight, and with dwindling crowds and a lack of sponsors, they were eventually forced out of business again. At the moment, Sochi does not have a professional football club.
The Fisht Stadium will host matches at the 2017 Confederations Cup as well as the FIFA World Cup in 2018. Over the next three years, the capacity will be raised from its current 40,000 to become a 45,000 seat arena.
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