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Putin assures FIFA of venues' timely construction

Saturday, 26 November 2016 6:25 AM [ Last Update: Saturday, 26 November 2016 6:28 AM ]

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) shakes hands with FIFA president Gianni Infantino during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on November 25, 2016 on the eve of the 2017 Confederations Cup draw. (AFP)

FIFA President Gianni Infantino met with Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday and was assured by the Russian president that a stadium in St. Petersburg will be ready in time to host the FIFA Confederations Cup next year as well as the World Cup matches in two years’ time.

The duo met on the eve of the draw for next year's Confederations Cup. The final game of FIFA confederations cup is scheduled to be played in St. Petersburg on July 2nd. The stadium is also due to host a World Cup semifinal match in 2018.

The St. Petersburg stadium has taken almost a decade to build, with so many scandals that Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in 2012 described it as "disgraceful". The 69,000-seat venue is set to cost more than 600 million dollars and some workers have died during construction so far.

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