Vladimir Putin Orders Officials To 'Speed Up' World Cup Stadium Construction

Russia President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered officials in St. Petersburg to "speed up construction of a trouble-plagued stadium which is scheduled to host 2018 World Cup games, including a semifinal," according to Francesca Ebel of the AP. In a decree published Monday on the Kremlin's website, Putin said that the stadium -- provisionally named Zenit Arena -- and other infrastructure "must be built on time." The decree said Putin instructed officials to "adopt comprehensive measures to eliminate the gaps" in the stadium's construction schedule. He gave "similar instructions to local authorities in Samara and Kaliningrad where two other World Cup stadiums are being built." The stadium in Russia's second-largest city "has been in construction for almost a decade." FIFA spokesperson Delia Fisher said on Monday that "FIFA expects the stadium to be delivered in December" (AP, 7/18).