Russian President Vladimir Putin says Russia’s 12 World Cup stadiums must be financially self-sustaining, following calls from some officials for government subsidies.
Speaking during an annual phone-in, Putin says ”all the facilities need to be able to cover their costs.” He suggests the stadiums could add cafes and shopping malls to boost their profitability.
Various World Cup stadiums will cost 200 million to 400 million rubles ($3.2 million to $6.4 million) a year each in maintenance, regional officials have estimated.
World Cup organizing committee CEO Alexei Sorokin told The Associated Press in April the government may need to ”help stabilize the operating situation” of some venues with federal money but the stadiums will eventually be ”on their feet.”