MOSCOW: Russia is resisting demands from FIFA to reduce the number of stadiums for the 2018 World Cup from 12 to 10. FIFA President Sepp Blatter, who said last month that two of the 12 planned stadiums could be cut, was in Sochi over the weekend to discuss the issue with Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko.

“The conception, under which 12 stadiums in 11 cities will host World Cup matches, is not being changed,” Mutko said, according to the ITAR-Tass agency.

“FIFA recommends 10 stadiums in nine cities, including two arenas in Moscow.”

Mutko said a final decision will be taken at a FIFA executive committee meeting in October.

Mutko, who is a member of the executive committee, said deciding any later would cause problems because construction is scheduled to start soon at several arenas.

A FIFA delegation is to start inspecting the 2018 arenas on Wednesday, beginning with the planned 45,000-seat stadium in the central Russian city of Saransk, Mutko said.

The World Cup in Brazil used 12 stadiums in 12 cities, and there has been speculation that a possible cut in venues for Russia could be aimed at avoiding the construction delays that plagued some Brazilian venues.

Neither FIFA nor Russia has said which stadiums could be cut, although Mutko has previously said that stadiums in Kaliningrad and Volgograd are proving the most difficult to construct.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2014