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A10 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 19 May 2018
Several World Cup arenas risk becoming white elephants

By JAMES ELLINGWORTH aside, the quality of the
Associated Press football is not great."
VOLGOGRAD, Russia (AP) South Africa and Brazil are
— Russia looks set to pack still struggling to manage
fans into the stadiums for World Cup stadiums from
the World Cup. But what 2010 and 2014.
happens then? Four cities in Brazil have
Several of the 12 stadiums under-used stadiums like
look set to remain largely the $550 million Mare Gar-
empty after the teams rincha in Brasilia, which re-
have left Russia and the cently hosted a game for
tournament is over. 400 spectators. The Rio de
It's a problem both for Rus- Janeiro state government,
sia — whose $10.8 billion administrators and local
World Cup price tag could clubs are fighting over who
be inflated by loss-making should pay maintenance
arenas — and for FIFA, bills for the Maracana,
which has a history of leav- which hosted the World
ing host nations lumbered Cup final in 2014. South Af-
with under-used stadiums, rica spent $1.1 billion on its
so-called white elephants. 2010 World Cup venues,
Club team Rotor Volgograd some of which are report-
will occupy a new 45,000- In this photo taken on Wednesday, May 16, 2018, the new World Cup stadium Mordovia Arena in edly losing money.
Saransk, Russia. Several of Russia’s 12 World Cup stadiums look set to be largely empty after the
seat World Cup stadium tournament. Faced with more white-ele-
despite averaging home Associated Press phant venues from Qatar's
crowds of just 3,800 this 2022 tournament, FIFA has
season, while Baltika Kalin- Manchester and Nantes, ing in glamorous foreign feet." praised the 2026 bid from
ingrad will inherit a 35,000- I was at those games and clubs like Chelsea, Arsenal Various World Cup stadi- the United States, Canada
seat arena with average it's something you can't ex- or Monaco. "I hope that ums will cost between 200 and Mexico for using exist-
crowds of 6,100. Sochi has press, those golden times," we'll resolve some issues million and 400 million ru- ing, mostly well attended
a 48,000-seat stadium but longtime supporter Nikolai with investors in the near bles ($3.2 million to $6.4 mil- venues.
no professional team. Seleznyov told The Associ- future," Kosolapov said last lion) a year each in main- Some Russian cities are try-
Older fans in Volgograd ated Press. week. tenance, regional officials ing to adapt.
remember Rotor knocking Rotor could pack arenas Russians are keen to see have estimated. Stadiums in Saransk and
Manchester United out of "if there's success for the World Cup games and The new-stadium buzz may Yekaterinburg have large
the UEFA Cup in 1995, but team," he added. "It all lead the world on ticket not last forever. temporary stands which
the club last played top- depends on the authori- sales. But few go to see lo- Rubin Kazan saw at- will be removed after the
flight football in 2004 and ties here in Volgograd, and cal clubs play. tendances soar when it tournament, reducing
has longstanding financial whether they help. If they In a country of 144 million moved into the 45,000-seat capacity and costs. The
problems. It's facing relega- don't, it can't work." people, the average Rus- Kazan Arena, a World Cup regional minister oversee-
tion to the Second Division Volgograd mayor Andrei sian Premier League atten- stadium, in 2014. Howev- ing Saransk's preparations,
South — Russia's lowest pro- Kosolapov is hunting for a dance this season rose to er, they've since dropped Alexei Merkushkin, said
fessional level. sponsor for Rotor. In Russian 13,971, the highest in two back and this season the Wednesday he hoped a
Fans say that if Rotor is to soccer, that often means decades but still far below stadium was on average gym and other commer-
rise again it'll need govern- the regional government, Europe's top leagues. The more than three-quarters cial ventures would set up
ment money to maintain or else a state-owned com- second tier averaged just empty. at the Mordovia Arena so it
the stadium and sign star pany prepared to tolerate 2,552. That mirrors the situation breaks even in "two, maxi-
players. heavy losses. Russian billion- World Cup organizers hope in Poland, host of the 2012 mum three years".
"When we played against aires typically prefer invest- new stadiums will attract European Championship, No tenants have signed up
fans turned off by old, where middle-class fans yet.
crumbling facilities. "Test initially flocked to new sta- The stadium's post-World
games" at the new sta- diums but were turned off Cup capacity of 28,000 is
diums had large crowds, by low-quality club games, large for a city of 300,000.
though spectators were of- argues Simon Chadwick, It's also 11 times the aver-
ten let in for free. who is professor of sports age crowd in the Russian
"A new stadium instantly enterprise at England's Sal- second tier, where Mordo-
attracts more people to ford University. via will play next season.
watch football," World Cup "In Poland, what seem Almost all locals welcome
organizing committee CEO to have happened is it's Saransk's new roads built
Alexei Sorokin told the AP tailed off," said Chadwick, for the tournament but
last month, but admitted who has taught in Russia. some see the stadium as a
the government may have "There's this misalignment burden.
to subsidize under-used between the hopes of do- Merkushkin is "the minister
arenas. mestic football authorities for wasting Moscow's mon-
"It could be at first, and and the realities of what ey," said Pavel, a Saransk
there is nothing wrong with it means to be a football resident who didn't give his
that, that the federal bud- fan in somewhere like Po- surname because he didn't
get will help stabilize the land and Russia. That can want to be identified criti-
In this photo taken on Saturday, April 21, 2018, a view on the operating situation of the include anything from the cizing the government.
new the World Cup stadium during the Russian league soccer stadium," he said. "I think weather ... right through to After the World Cup, "who's
match between Rotor and Luch-Energiya in Volgograd, Russia . when the situation rolls on, the quality of the football. going to watch all these
Associated Press
they will be well on their In Russia, one or two teams backyard-level games?"q