Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko has announced that "a deficit in next year's budget for the 2018 FIFA World Cup means officials must seek financial support from private donors," according to CUSTOMS TODAY. Mutko said, "There is a budget deficit for 2015, so the organizing committee is counting on donations from individuals." Mutko's comments come after Alexei Sorokin, head of the World Cup organizing committee, said that Russia's current economic troubles "were not likely to impact preparations for the football championship, since the budget is in foreign currency and thus untouched by this year's drastic devaluation of the ruble currency" (CUSTOMS TODAY, 12/27). REUTERS reported Mutko also said the opening ceremony "could take place in the Dynamo stadium, which will not host any matches during the tournament, rather than the Luzhniki Stadium as was originally planned." Mutko: "The Organizing committee is looking into the possibility of holding the opening ceremony a day before the opening match at the Dynamo Stadium." A contract was signed on Friday "regarding the construction of the stadium in Rostov-on-Don, the last to be approved" (REUTERS, 12/26).
