Saint Petersburg’s Zenit Arena, one of the venues scheduled to host games at football’s 2018 Fifa World Cup in Russia, appears no nearer to being completed after it was revealed that the Russian Airborne Troops rejected a request from the city’s vice-governor to finish construction work.
Russian news agency Interfax reported the request last week, with the Russian Airborne Troops deciding to turn down the proposal. The unit said its packed schedule would not allow for such projects.
In a statement reported by the Tass news agency, the military unit’s press office said: “We are surprised by the statements of vice-governor Igor Albin about the new use of the Airborne Troops for the construction of the Zenit-Arena in St Petersburg.
“We would like to note that the Airborne Troops are one of the most elite combat units of the armed forces, and are designed to address the most complex and challenging tasks to ensure the security of our state. Therefore, the paratroopers do not have time for construction works, even regarding stadia.”
The stadium project has been beset by problems since construction work began in 2007. Issues concerning design and constructors’ contracts have affected the development of the ground, which is also due to stage games during the 2017 Confederations Cup – the dress rehearsal for the following year's World Cup.
Earlier this month, the stadium’s recently-dismissed general contractor, Inzhtransstroy, claimed the ground would not be ready in time for next year’s World Cup warm-up event due to the “inconsistent decisions” of the St Petersburg Construction Committee.
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