Luzhniki, Russia’s biggest stadium, slated for demolition
Russia’s biggest and most famous arena, the Luzhniki in Moscow, will likely be demolished after hosting the 2013 World Athletics Championships, with a new stadium to be built in its place, the Russian sports minster has said.
“There are two options: The first one is how it happened with the Brazilian stadium of Maracana when the walls remained, but everything inside was cleared. This is expensive and not perfect because we’d have to go underground, but, actually, there’s nowhere to go there,” Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko told Interfax news agency. “So the concept, according to which the stadium will be demolished and a new modern arena built in its place, is about to be accepted,” he said. “We’d like to do it how the British did it with Wembley – that the new stadium would also become a concert area, business center and a place for entertainment. But the final decision is to be made by the government and the mayor of the capital city of Moscow. ”
According to the minister, drastic measures will need to be taken to bring Luzhniki up to FIFA’s high standards, as the arena will be the main venue for the Russian-hosted 2018 FIFA World Cup.
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