FIFA Competitions Dir Colin Smith said that the organization’s inspection commission "is satisfied with the current state of St. Petersburg's Zenit Arena." The venue will host 2017 Confederations Cup and 2018 World Cup games. A five-day FIFA delegation's visit that will continue until March 3, and include all four cities that will host the Confederations Cup games, "started in St. Petersburg on Monday." Smith said, "It’s a great pleasure for me that I don’t have to wear the safety hat here anymore. ... Overall we are satisfied with the job that has been done here. Although, there are some things that still need to be complete. The city assured us that everything will be ready by June" (RT, 2/27).
League Two side Stevenage Chair Phil Wallace "urged the local council to act" after branding part of the club's Lamex Stadium as "truly awful." Wallace called on Stevenage Borough Council to take action to improve the North Stand, calling it "not fit for purpose." Stevenage offered to pay £900,000 ($1.1M) toward the cost of the £1.4M ($1.7M) development -- including a £450,000 ($560,000) grant from the Football Foundation -- but the council said that it "could not contribute to the project" because of "ongoing financial challenges" (BBC, 2/27).
Suncorp Stadium's management relaxed its rules around disrobing after "causing a furore" among A-League side Wellington Phoenix fans. A "small contingent" of traveling Yellow Fever fans took their shirts off after 80 minutes of the team's 2-1 win over Brisbane Roar, "as is the fans' tradition when their team is leading with 10 minutes to go." But they were told by security that "removing their shirts went against the stadium's conditions of entry" (STUFF, 2/26).