Football
ESPN staff 9y

FIFA inspectors satisfied with Russian venues for 2018 World Cup

FIFA inspectors have said there are no major problems with the stadiums being prepared for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

After making a first tour of the venues that will host matches in the tournament, the team from world football's governing body said they were satisfied with the progress being made.

But head of inspections Christian Unger stressed that he wanted to see the progress being maintained on future visits.

"It's our first visit to Russia, and we're happy with the results for the moment," he told reporters. "But we would like to see positive changes in our every new visit here."

Major works in progress include the reconstruction of the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow, while the inspectors said the Fisht Arena at Sochi, a Winter Olympics venue, would need adaptation before it was ready to host World Cup football.

Unger described the Kazan Arena, which hosted the World Student Games last year and is home to Rubin Kazan, as "an excellent venue."

He also voiced confidence that a 70,000-seat stadium in Saint Petersburg, scheduled to be ready by May 2016, would be completed on time.

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