Russian President Vladimir Putin knows the legacy of his World Cup will be judged partly by the fate of the stadiums after the tournament, and he is determined they are put to good use.
Russia has spent at least $4 billion on arena construction and refurbishments for the month-long tournament.
Stunning venues rose in developed cities far from Moscow such as Nizhny Novogrod on the Volga River and in small and isolated places like Saransk.
Putin’s last TV phone-in show, held a week before the tournament was unremarkable — until the moment he decided to underscore the importance of the fate of 12 stadiums.
He suddenly turned serious and even emotional. The regional bosses he was lecturing via video link froze behind their respective desks.
“I want to address colleagues from the regions,” Putin said. “No matter what, you cannot allow these venues to turn into some sort of markets like those in the mid-1990s.”
The idea of Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium becoming the go-to destination for second-hand clothes might puzzle fans.
The country was mired in poverty and the only way to pay for Luzhniki’s upkeep was by parcelling off space to fly-by-night merchants who set up stalls across its vast grounds.
It stood as the unsightly symbol of Russia’s problems until being torn down in 2011 and lavishly rebuilt as the focus of the World Cup.
While Luzhniki’s future as the national stadium is probably safe, it is the subsistence model that places such as Saransk and Samara are forced to consider as they inherit grand stadiums that will be home to teams that draw a few thousand fans.
A spin around the 11 host cities suggests that most of the 12 arenas are destined to struggle — at least at first.
Only six have teams playing in the Premier League that fans are willing to pay money to watch.
FC Mordovia Saransk has been promoted from third-tier status to the more respectable second division to help fill the stands.
Regional authorities told business daily Kommersant that running all the new and rebuilt facilities will cost up to $100 million a year.
The federal government intends to allocate around $200 million to help teams and local officials cover the costs.
But that money will be paid out over five years and also be used for youth football development and other expenses.
Few provincial bosses think it will be enough — and not many analysts see a quick fix.
Industry experts say the appeal of being inside new stadiums boosts tickets sales slightly and for only a matter of years.
