Zenit Arena Stadium: what the famous sports unfinished construction is like. New stadium Zenit stadium how many seats
The construction of the Zenit Arena stadium is the longest undertaking in Russian football. The long-term construction began in 2007 and has not yet been completed, the deadline for the completion of the project is constantly being postponed, and the cost is growing day by day. Encouraging statements from contractors and managers about the construction of the stadium regularly appear in the newspapers.
Zenit is already waiting for a new arena, but the players cannot influence the speed of construction in any way. So, let's fast forward ten years ago, when the idea of building a new stadium first appeared.
2005 year
In March 2005, information appeared that the Kirov Arena on Krestovsky Island would be demolished, and in its place the construction of a stadium would begin from scratch. Zenit was still far from the UEFA Cup and the Hulk in the lineup. Management announced that the new arena would cost one hundred and fifty million dollars and have a capacity of 50 thousand spectators.
Already in April, the concept of the future stadium appeared. The basis was Old Trafford. This idea was later criticized by Demit Momot, who considered the open stadium unsuitable for the Russian climate. Six months later, management announced that the construction of the Zenit Arena stadium already costs $250 million.
2006
In January, the organizers of the construction promised to commission the Gazprom Arena (as they planned to call the stadium) by 2009. Even then, analysts predicted repeated postponements. In April, the vice-governor of St. Petersburg promised that construction of the Zenit Arena stadium would start at the end of this year.
In the summer of 2006, the arena project, which was developed by a Japanese company, was presented. The structure was supposed to have a roof in the shape of a spaceship with the possibility of heating. The project cost was $225 million. At the end of the year, a builder was identified. It was the company SINTEZ-SUI LLC, which promised to build the Zenit Arena stadium for 6.7 billion rubles.
2007
In March, Valentina Matvienko said that construction would be completed by the end and the team would spend the next season at the new stadium. A month later, the governor of St. Petersburg said that the Zenit Arena stadium would receive a retractable field, which would cost additional money. In September, the lieutenant governor gave a statement in which he indicated that construction was ahead of schedule. He promised that the arena would be ready in December 2008.
2008
In March he reported that the construction of a new stadium could become more expensive. Gazprom was brought in for additional investment. A month later, Alexander Dyukov made it clear that in 2009 he would not see the new stadium of FC Zenit. The deadline for delivery was presumably moved to 2010. In addition, the cost of construction now amounts to 13-14 billion rubles.
In the middle of summer there was another increase in the price of the Zenit Arena stadium. Now the price was a whopping 23.7 billion rubles. Management promised a capacity of 62,000 people. At the end of the year, it was announced that the construction would be carried out by the Inzhtransstroy company, which signed a contract for 13.2 billion rubles.
year 2009
In April, information appeared in the media that in 2010 the famous Metallica would perform at the opening of the stadium. In December, the arena under construction was inspected and it was found that it did not meet FIFA requirements. There were complaints about the location of the stands and the rooms under the stands.
2010
In February 2010, they decided to make the stadium more spacious (67,000), which affected its cost. Due to budget adjustments in April, construction timelines are increasing again. Because of this, the cost rises again. At the end of the year, the president of Zenit announced the completion of the redesign of the arena. The new capacity will be 68,000 people.
2011
In January, Glavgosexpertiza orders the dismantling of the arena's already constructed roof, which leads to additional costs and postponement of completion. Now the total cost of construction is already a cosmic 33 billion rubles. In October, the roof was demolished again, which the customer did not like. In November, delivery of the finished arena is scheduled for 2013. The cost increased to 40 billion rubles.
year 2013
At the beginning of the year it was published that the stadium was 34.4% ready. In February, the Investigative Committee begins to investigate a case of fraud related to the construction of the arena. The case involves the first contractor and the amount of 500 million rubles.
In March, the construction management promises to commission the arena in the summer of 2016. In the summer it turns out that the construction of the Zenit Arena stadium, which will host matches at the home 2018 World Cup, is only 35% complete.
year 2014
In April, the exact date for the commissioning of the facility was set - June 15, 2016. The vice-governor ruled out an increase in the cost and named the figure at 34.9 billion rubles.
2015
In March, the case of the theft of 145 million rubles was closed. The reason is the expiration of the statute of limitations. In November it was announced that Zenit would play the first match at the new arena in September 2016. A month later, the date was again moved to December.
2016
In February, the contractor asks to increase the construction amount to 35.3 billion rubles. In the summer, 144.5 million rubles are lost, which were intended for the installation of a video board. Information has emerged that workers are not receiving wages. On July 13, according to the general contractor, there was an attempted raider takeover. He did not rule out that in this way the city administration is trying to delay the completion of the facility.
And it will be inferior to London's Wembley; the price of one seat on Krestovsky Island in St. Petersburg will become a record for football stadiums.
Current estimated construction price Zenit Arena, or, as it was planned to be called earlier, “Gazprom Arena”, . However, this is not the final price yet. It may be revised as soon as the name of the general contractor (already the third) who will complete the construction is determined.
If we divide the total amount by the estimated capacity of the arena under construction (69,501 people), it turns out that one seat will cost the city $15827- a very high figure by world standards.
This figure is inferior even to the cost of one seat at the most expensive football stadium on the planet - London "Wembley", where the England national team plays its home matches. With a construction cost of $1.3 billion, the legendary arena has a capacity of 90,000 people. Therefore, the price of each seat is equal to $14444. Wembley was completed in 2007 and the stadium is not owned by any football club.
The most expensive stadium in the world among all sports at the moment is the arena of the New York Giants club - MetLife Stadium. Opened in 2010, the stadium cost about $1.6 billion and seats 82,566 people— 19378 dollars in for everyone. It hosts American football matches.
What can we say, when the main stadium of the Olympic Games cost the British treasury 875 million dollars, with its capacity of 80,000 people.
Football
The home arena of St. Petersburg "Zenith", when completed, will move into third place in terms of total cost among football stadiums, which hosted the 2008 World Cup final Stade de France in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis. The construction of the stands, which can accommodate 80,000 spectators, cost the French budget $974 million - $12175 in place.
If we take into account only stadiums owned by football clubs, then Zenit has no equal at all. The closest pursuer, Arsenal, has been saving up a “pathetic” $770 million for many years to rebuild its beautiful 60,000-tonne building. Emirates- order $12800 for one seat.
But, unlike Zenit, the London club built the arena with its own money. In order to somehow compensate for the costs of building the stadium, Arsenal was forced to sign a record advertising agreement at that time with the Emirates airline, after which the stadium was named. It will retain this name until at least 2019, and the airline will pay about $130 million for it.
Priorities
Zenit will get its arena for free. All construction costs come from the city treasury, which can no longer cope with its obligations. Upon completion of the project, the arena will simply be transferred to the balance sheet of a football club from the northern capital. Zenit, using the freed-up funds, prefers to acquire football players from Portugal, spending a record $122 million on this.
$51.5 million went to buy Axel Witzel from Benfica - that's a third of the amount spent on building their stadium "Da Luzh", which hosted the final of the European Football Championship in 2004. The remaining amount ($68.5 million) was paid for the Hulk from Porto. The Portuguese club, by the way, has a stadium "Dragão", on which $125.7 million was spent in 2003. Of these, 23.8 million were paid by the state.
In Europe, Zenit are compared to the wasteful Manchester City, owned by UAE's Sheikh Mansour. But even he, contrary to popular belief, was used to counting money. The club's stadium, where, by the way, Zenit won the UEFA Cup, was built before his arrival and cost the team $180 million. The sheikh not only compensated for this money, but also brought profit to the club by signing an advertising contract with the Etihad airline for $193 million. Now the arena in Manchester is called Etihad Stadium.
And the arena, which was completed just last year by the most titled club in Italy and one of the most famous in Europe - Juventus Turin, cannot be compared with the long-term construction in St. Petersburg. Capacity 41,000 people, Juventus Stadium cost the team owners $135 million. The construction of the stadium affected the inactive transfer policy, and patient fans were rewarded when the team in the new arena won the championship title in 2012 without losing a single match during the season.
Russia and CIS
But why look at Europe when in our country there are excellent examples of wise investment. Moscow stadium "Lokomotiv" cost the club $30 million and seats 28,800 people. Yes, you won’t be able to host the Champions League final on it, but it’s quite enough for the national team’s games.
They don’t make a splash in neighboring Ukraine either. Hosted the European Championship final "Olympic" the stadium in Kyiv was reconstructed. In fact, it was rebuilt on the old site. $566 million was spent on reconstruction, which was borrowed under state guarantees.
And the construction of a new stadium for Shakhtar Donetsk, Donbass Arena, which hosted one of the semi-finals of Euro 2012, cost the owner of the Donetsk club Rinat Akhmetov $400 million. With a capacity of 52,187 people, the cost of one seat in this stadium was $7664. Why such savings? It's simple: Akhmetov took money from his own pocket.
But, we can say with a high degree of probability that the story with the most expensive sports long-term construction will not end here. The city has already allocated more than $900 million for the construction of the arena, and it is unlikely that the stadium will be completed with the remaining 200 million before the announced limit of $1.1 billion.
In 2010, Metallica was supposed to perform at the Zenit arena
According to Mikhail Zhvanetsky, repairs cannot be completed - only stopped. Perhaps the most striking example of this is the construction of Krestovsky.
As the famous satirist Mikhail Zhvanetsky used to say, repairs cannot be completed - only stopped. Perhaps the most striking example of this is the construction of a stadium on Krestovsky Island. We present the chronology of the construction of the most high-profile football long-term construction in Russia - from the idea of creation to the present day.
March 2005 “The Kirov Stadium in St. Petersburg will be demolished”
The first reports about the construction of a new arena on the site of the stadium. CM. Kirov, located on Krestovsky Island, appeared more than 10 years ago. Then we were talking about a stadium, the approximate cost of which would be $ 150 million, and the capacity would be 50,000 spectators.
April 2005 “Zenith’s new stadium will be built according to the Manchester model”
The concept of the future stadium has been unveiled. It was assumed that the prototype for it would be the arena project in Manchester, created by the English company Arup. General Director of State Unitary Enterprise "Stadium named after. CM. Kirov" Demid Momot later criticized the idea of an open stadium in Russian climatic conditions. And then a member of the board of OJSC Gazprom Valery Golubev reported that the stadium in Dortmund could become a model for the stadium. The management of Gazprom JSC also clarified the cost of construction. Over six months, the figure grew by almost 70% – to $250 million.
January 2006 The stadium is promised to be built by 2009
According to the head of the St. Petersburg Sports Committee, Vyacheslav Chazov, he is 1,000,000% sure that the Gazprom Arena (that’s what it was supposed to be called) will appear on the site of the stadium. Kirov by 2009. However, experts predict that these deadlines will be pushed back repeatedly.
April 2006 When will construction start?
According to the Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg Alexander Vakhmistrov, construction of a new stadium for Zenit will begin at the end of 2006, immediately after the dismantling of the Kirov Stadium, which is planned to be completed in November. “At the same time, we plan to sign a construction agreement with the general contractor,” Vakhmistrov said.
July 2006 Projects for a new stadium in St. Petersburg presented
An exhibition of developed architectural solutions (pre-design proposals) for the stadium has opened in St. Petersburg. It presented projects developed by the winners of the first stage of the competition, including Kisho Kurokawa architect & associates (Japan).
The Japanese proposed a stadium project shaped like a spaceship. The roof, measuring 200x90 meters, is made of polymer material, supported by metal masts and equipped with a special mechanism that blows hot air, which helps melt the snow. The Japanese estimated the cost of their construction at just over $225 million. It was this project that was highlighted among others by the former president of Zenit, Sergei Fursenko.
December 2006 The builder of the new FC Zenit stadium became known
The builder of the stadium was the St. Petersburg company SINTEZ-SUI LLC, which offered to carry out all the work for 6 billion 664 million 308 thousand 170 rubles.
March 2007 “Zenith Stadium will be built before the end of 2008”
At a meeting with the participation of the Governor of St. Petersburg Valentina Matvienko It was announced that the construction of the arena on Krestovsky Island would end on December 30, 2008, and next season the team would be able to play home matches at the new stadium. At the same time, the project’s customers still haven’t decided what kind of sports arena to make – retractable or non-retractable. “Based on the difficult weather conditions in St. Petersburg, experts believe that a retractable field can greatly increase the cost of the project, but not give the effect we want. We need to weigh everything,” Matvienko said.
April 2007 Matvienko: at the new Zenit stadium the field will be retractable
Governor of St. Petersburg Valentina Matvienko said that the new Zenit football stadium on Krestovsky Island will have a retractable field. No comments needed.
September 2007 “Construction of the Zenit stadium is ahead of schedule”
Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg Alexander Vakhmistrov told reporters that the construction of the new Zenit stadium on Krestovsky Island is ahead of schedule: “The end of the construction period has not changed, approximately December 2008. We hope that Zenit will play the first matches of the 2009 season at the new stadium.”
March 2008 “Gazprom will be asked for money for a new stadium for Zenit”
President of the RFU Vitaly Mutko reported that construction of the arena may become more expensive. To implement the project, Gazprom may be attracted as an additional investor.
April 2008 “The commissioning of the new Zenit stadium has been postponed for a year”
“The stadium is unlikely to be put into operation in 2009,” says the president of Zenit. Alexander Dyukov. - In the future, maybe in 2010. At the moment, the project to build a stadium on Krestovsky costs approximately 13-14 billion rubles, instead of the previously announced 6.67 billion. This is due to rising prices for the cost of work and materials, as well as the characteristics of the soil. In addition, the price included the dismantling of the old Kirov Stadium.”July 2008 “The new Zenit stadium has risen in price by 3.5 times”
After the estimate was approved, the price of the new football arena in St. Petersburg increased 3.5 times to 23.7 billion rubles. It is reported that if there is not enough budget money, Gazprom, which controls FC Zenit, will join in the financing. According to the official estimate prepared by Glavgosexpertiza, the football stadium on Krestovsky Island will cost 23.7 billion rubles. Now it is planned to increase the arena's capacity to 62,000 spectators.December 2008 “Inzhtransstroy will undertake the construction of the Zenit stadium”
In November last year, the St. Petersburg Construction Committee terminated the government contract with the previous construction contractor, the Avant company, and in December concluded a new one with ZAO Engineering Corporation Transstroy, owned by Oleg Deripaska. The cost of the contract amounted to 13 billion 22 million 282 thousand rubles with the original price of 18 billion 603 million 260 thousand. The reduction in the starting price was 30%.April 2009 Metallica will perform in St. Petersburg at the opening of a new stadium"
News agencies report that the legendary American band Metallica will perform in St. Petersburg in 2010 at the opening of a new stadium on Krestovsky Island. Metallica will present their latest album Death Magnetic.December 2009 Stadium does not meet FIFA standards
After checking the stadium project for compliance with FIFA requirements, it turned out that according to a number of criteria, the stadium already under construction does not meet FIFA standards. The main complaints were made about the configuration of the stands (ensuring comfortable visibility, the location of hatches) and the layout of the sub-tribune rooms, which were divided by thick walls into small compartments. There were practically no halls or open spaces inside.February 2010 Zenit Stadium will become larger and more expensive
Chairman of the Construction Committee of the St. Petersburg Administration Vyacheslav Semenenko announced the decision to expand the stadium. “Since the city received an offer from the bid committee to host the semi-final match of the World Cup, we asked all participants: either we continue construction with minor adjustments to the project, or we suspend work and change the project so that the new stadium meets all UEFA requirements and FIFA. But this will require additional funding,” Semenenko said. Thus, the new version of the stadium must accommodate at least 67,000 people.April 2010 The construction time for the Zenit stadium is still increasing
Due to adjustments to the budget of St. Petersburg, the project to build a football stadium on Krestovsky Island lost 1.5 billion rubles. For this reason, the timing of the commissioning of the new arena of the St. Petersburg Zenit has again undergone changes. Head of the Budget and Financial Committee of the Legislative Assembly Vladimir Barkanov stated that this would result in an increase in the cost of the project.December 2010 Redesign of the new arena in St. Petersburg is completed
Zenit President Alexander Dyukov announced that the redesign of the new arena in St. Petersburg has been completed. Now the stadium will accommodate 68,000 spectators.January 2011 Builders were in a hurry - the roof is being dismantled
The construction timeline for the new Zenit stadium has again been revised to November 2012. The conclusion of the Glavgosexpertiza on the redevelopment was received by construction organizations three months later than expected, so the builders, who rushed to start work, were faced with the need to dismantle the roof of the future arena. Amendments by Glavgosexpertiza inevitably led to an increase in construction costs, which by that time had already been revised five times.In addition, as the Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg Roman Filimonov said, the cost of the Zenit stadium has increased. Compared to the previous estimate, construction work has risen in price by 8.4 billion rubles, and now the total cost of the stadium has increased to 33 billion rubles ($1.1 billion).
February 2011 The new Zenit stadium fell in price from 33 billion to 28.7 billion
The final estimate for the stadium was not 33 billion, which was announced at the end of January, but 28.7 billion. The contractor Inzhtranstroy gave a discount.July 2011 Zenit wants to start the 2013/14 season in a new arena
General Director of Zenit Maxim Mitrofanov: “We expect this: if construction really ends in November 2012, then approximately six months will be spent on various commissioning works, installation of technological and catering equipment. We would like to start the 2013/14 season in a new arena.”October 2011 “The constructed part of the stadium will have to be partially redone”
The change in design was caused by the fact that the customer, the construction committee of the government of St. Petersburg, decided to make a different roof two months after transferring the documentation to Mosproekt-4. Mosproekt-4 initially designed a sliding structure that should only cover the stands. And the customer wanted the roof to cover the entire stadium along with the field. And these are completely different loads on beams, columns and foundations. It will take another 12 to 18 months to install the roof.November 2011 New project deadline and new estimate
The final completion date for the new stadium for Zenit on Krestovsky Island is 2013. This was announced by the Governor of St. Petersburg Georgy Poltavchenko during a joint meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak at the construction site of the future sports arena. Information also appeared that the price of the stadium could increase from 33 billion rubles to 40 billion rubles ($1.3 billion).January 2013 Construction readiness of the Zenit stadium is 34.4%
At this point, the construction readiness of the facility is 34.4%. As of November 1, 2012, expenditures from the budget of St. Petersburg were made to finance the construction of a football stadium in the amount of 14,417.1 million rubles, while accounts receivable amounted to 3,759.8 million rubles.February 2013 The Investigative Committee took over the stadium
The Main Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for St. Petersburg confirmed the fact that a criminal case had been initiated regarding fraud during the construction of a stadium for Zenit on Krestovsky Island. We are talking about the work of the first contractor on the project - Sintez-Sui LLC, which later changed its name to Avant LLC, which at the end of 2006 entered into a contract with the construction committee of the government of St. Petersburg. In the subcontract agreements concluded, the cost of work was inflated by more than 500 million rubles.March 2013 The new Zenit stadium is promised to be completed no later than July 2016
Head of the St. Petersburg Capital Construction Fund Roman Skladnev reported that the installation of the stadium roof for Zenit on Krestovsky Island in St. Petersburg will begin in the second or third quarter of 2014, and all monolithic work will be completed in the fourth quarter of the same year. According to him, 21 months will pass from the start of roof installation until the stadium is put into operation.June 2013 The new Zenit stadium is currently 35% completed
After six years of work on Krestovsky Island, the new Zenit stadium, which will host matches at Russia's home 2018 FIFA World Cup, is about a third complete. Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg Marat Oganesyan, meanwhile, believes that, despite the problems with the construction of the stadium on Krestovsky Island, the city is the leader in preparation among Russian cities that will host the 2018 World Cup.April 2014 Zenit Arena will be put into operation on June 15, 2016
Perhaps now the fans can breathe easy? Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg Marat Oganesyan announced the exact opening date of the Zenit Arena stadium on Krestovsky Island. In April, construction of the stadium's roof began. Zenit President Alexander Dyukov later noted that such a forecast looks realistic.Oganesyan ruled out the possibility of increasing costs for the construction of a stadium on Krestovsky Island. According to him, the final cost of the facility will be 34.9 billion rubles and “not a penny more.”
October 2014 Construction in St. Petersburg will still be completed by Transstroy
Transstroy, the general contractor of the new Zenit stadium on Krestovsky Island in St. Petersburg, won a competition worth 9.129 billion rubles to complete the construction of the arena. All that remains is to install the retractable roof, roll-out pitch, engineering systems, finishing, installation and commissioning of arena equipment.December 2014 Alluvium for another 2.33 billion rubles
The State Order Committee of St. Petersburg has announced a tender for the creation of an artificial land plot in the area of Krestovsky Island for the construction of a stadium for the 2018 World Cup. The volume of allocated funds will amount to almost 2.33 billion rubles, according to the procurement portal.March 2015 The case of the theft of 145 million rubles from the arena was closed years ago
Vasileostrovsky District Court dismissed the criminal case against Sergei Gerliman, who was accused of illegally cashing out 145 million rubles stolen during the construction of the Zenit Arena. The reason for the decision was the expiration of the statute of limitations.April 2015 Arena construction worker was shot and killed
As a result of the conflict at the Zenit Arena stadium under construction on Krestovsky Island in St. Petersburg, a construction worker received gunshot wounds to the head. The day before, a concrete mixer arrived at the construction site. Having unloaded, the driver began to wash the car, after which an employee approached him and made a remark. Presumably, after a verbal conflict, the driver took out a traumatic pistol and shot in the direction of his opponent three times, hitting him in the head twice.November 2015 The first match at Krestovsky will be held in September 2016
Chairman of the Construction Committee Mikhail Demidenko reported that the level of readiness of the stadium on Krestovsky Island is now 79%. At the meeting, it was decided that the first match at the new site should take place in September 2016. However, a month later the general contractor moved the announced deadlines until December 2016.February 2016 The general contractor asks to increase the estimate to 35.3 billion rubles
The Inzhtransstroy-SPb company, the general contractor for the construction of the Zenit Arena stadium, sent an official appeal to the St. Petersburg Construction Committee about increasing the cost of building the facility by 435 million rubles. This information was confirmed by the committee’s press service. Thus, the final estimated cost of the arena may exceed 35.3 billion rubles.July 2016 Investigators are looking for the video board of the Krestovsky stadium for 144 million rubles
The Investigative Committee and the economic police of St. Petersburg have begun large-scale searches that concern 144.5 million rubles initially required to carry out work on setting up a video board complete with a lifting and lowering system at the Krestovsky stadium, as well as a control system for the LEDs on this board. Meanwhile, the stadium's readiness is estimated at 85%. In addition, reports of delays in wages for construction workers have reappeared.July 2016 Attempted raider takeover in the arena?
Inzhtrasstroy-Spb, the general contractor for the construction of the stadium on Krestovsky Island in St. Petersburg, reported an attempted raider takeover that took place on July 13, also accusing the city administration of attempting to delay the delivery of the arena. “A situation has arisen in which the customer, represented by the city administration, is doing everything to miss the deadline for completing the project. One of the key problems is caused by the lack of approved design solutions and documentation. We don’t have documents according to which we actually have to build,” the company told Championship. Later, city authorities did not rule out that the government contract with the contractor could be terminated.
On July 26, 2016, it became known that the general contractor for the construction of the Zenit Arena stadium on Krestovsky Island in St. Petersburg announced a complete stop of work. The only question that torments football fans is whether the stadium will be completed in time for the Confederations Cup, which will be held in the summer of 2017. NTV explains why the Zenit Arena is taking so long to build and how its cost has increased by 30 billion rubles in 10 years.
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What is Zenit Arena?
Zenit Arena is a stadium that has been under construction in St. Petersburg since 2007. The arena will be located on the site of the stadium. S. M. Kirov. The author of the project was the Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa. It must be said that the sports facility is already one of the most expensive in the world and the most scandalous long-term construction project in Russia.
It is expected that it will host the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the 2020 European Football Championship.
During the construction process, the sports arena was called “a football stadium in the western part of Krestovsky Island.” The stadium, which has not been put into operation, has already been used by Zenit, Zenit Arena and Gazprom Arena. It was assumed that the St. Petersburg football club Zenit and its main sponsor (the Gazprom company) would finance its construction, but now the construction of the arena is being carried out entirely at the expense of the city budget.
It is currently unknown who will own the stadium after construction is completed and the 2018 FIFA World Cup is held. Earlier it was reported that the arena should be transferred to the balance of the Zenit football club.
On April 26, 2016, the stadium received the name “Krestovsky” based on its geographical location. 30.3% of St. Petersburg residents were in favor of this name.
When should construction be completed?
The stadium was founded in 2007. Then the governor of St. Petersburg, Valentina Matvienko, stated that the Zenit football club should play its first match at the new stadium in 2009.
However, the sports facility was not put into operation, and its completion date was repeatedly postponed. In addition, the cost of the arena increased every year.
At the moment, city authorities and experts say that the stadium will be put into operation at the end of 2016 and the beginning of 2017. It must be said that next year this particular arena will be one of four that will host the Confederations Cup football.
It is interesting that the construction of the Zenit Arena lasts longer than the construction of many famous historical monuments in the world. For example, in the time it took to build the stadium, one Colosseum could have been built. It began to be built in 72 AD. e. under Emperor Vespasian, and in 80 AD. e. The amphitheater was consecrated by Emperor Titus.
During the time spent at the Zenit Arena, 3.5 Eiffel Towers could have been built. Construction work then lasted for two years, two months and five days (from January 28, 1887 to March 31, 1889) and was carried out by 300 workers.
How much does it cost to build a stadium?
Even at the planning stage for the construction of a new stadium in St. Petersburg, the amount was set at 6.7 billion rubles (about $250 million). However, already in April 2008, the cost of its construction increased sharply to 14 billion rubles, and by the end of the same year the price tag was almost 24 billion (about 900 million dollars).
In 2011, Kommersant reported that as a result of changes in the project due to the requirements of FIFA and UEFA, including changing the stadium's capacity from 62 thousand to 69 thousand fans (about 7 thousand due to the installation of temporary stands) and the development of a new dome design for warming it up, the cost of construction could rise to 40 billion rubles.
In October 2012, the authorities of St. Petersburg announced and submitted for approval to the Glavgosexpertiza the amount of 43.8 billion rubles. At that time it was about $1.4 billion. At that time, this sports facility could have become the most expensive in the world.
It should be noted that as a result of the revision of the estimate, the price tag decreased slightly. In June 2016, the authorities of St. Petersburg limited the budget to 39.2 billion rubles.
Interestingly, in the list of the most expensive football buildings in the world, Zenit Arena currently occupies an honorable fourth place. By the end of construction, its cost will be about 620 million dollars.
The first is Wembley Stadium (England, London), the reconstruction of which cost 1.25 billion dollars. The second place is occupied by the stadium in the city of Brasilia (Brazil). It was built for the 2014 World Cup at a cost of $900 million. Third place rightfully belongs to the home stadium of the Arsenal football club. About $750 million was spent on its construction.
What else is this stadium famous for?
Despite the fact that the construction of this sports facility is quite expensive for the city, this stadium will be one of the most modern in the world.
For example, Zenit Arena will have a special roll-out field. The football pitch will be able to travel outside the arena on special rails so that it can be ventilated. This is due to the fact that weather conditions in St. Petersburg are not favorable for grass growth in winter, and the city is the northernmost of the Premier League. Using this technology, it will be possible to maintain the quality of the field surface at a high level.
The roof of the Zenit Arena will be retractable to cover the field during bad weather and the cold season.
In addition, the sports arena will have one of the best security systems in the world. It will be able not only to recognize fan tickets, but also to display all information about the fan online on the monitor screen. This can help law enforcement officials in the event of a conflict or other emergency situations.
Zenit Arena Stadium: what is the famous sports unfinished construction?
Over the ten years during which the future Zenit stadium has been in the spotlight, this grandiose structure has migrated from the category of architectural works of art to the list of the most scandalous long-term construction projects of our time.
Today, when a new chapter in the history of the construction of the stadium opens, when the general contractor is organizing a real information war with the official authorities of St. Petersburg, we remember how it all began and what it ultimately led to. To do this, we will answer five main questions about the stadium being built on Krestovsky Island, which is popularly called the Zenit Arena.
When will construction be completed?
In 2007, when the decision was finally made to begin construction of a stadium on Krestovsky Island, Governor of St. Petersburg Valentina Matvienko announced the end of 2009 as the date for commissioning of the structure.
Since then, the estimated completion date has been postponed many times for all sorts of reasons. First, the 2008 crisis struck, which led to higher construction prices, problems for the developer and a change of general contractor. Then there were endless checks and lawsuits in connection with the waste of funds. After this there was a new crisis, as a result of which the cost of construction jumped even higher. And here we are again observing the procedure for changing the contractor.
Today, the final date for completion of construction is the end of 2016 - beginning of 2017. This date, in any case, is the deadline, because in the summer of 2017 the stadium in St. Petersburg will become one of four that will host the traditional tournament preceding the World Cup scheduled for 2018 - the Confederations Cup.
How much does construction cost?
Initially, it was planned to spend about 6.7 billion rubles on the construction of a new stadium in St. Petersburg. At that time it was about 268 million dollars.
Already in April 2008, the cost of construction jumped first to 13-14 billion rubles, and by the end of 2008 it amounted to about 24 billion rubles. At that time, at current exchange rates, this amounted to almost $900 million.
Four years later, in October 2012, someone announced a figure of 43.8 billion rubles, which at the current exchange rate was more than 1.4 billion dollars. At this moment they started talking about how the stadium in St. Petersburg would be the most expensive sports facility on the planet.
True, since then the price tag in rubles has fallen slightly. In June 2016, the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg limited the arena construction budget to 39.2 billion rubles. At the same time, the dollar exchange rate against the ruble doubled. Therefore, the final figure in foreign currency does not yet look so shocking - “only” $620 million at the current exchange rate. However, given that most of the funds were spent at a different rate, in reality the amount in dollars will look more impressive.
What is the value of the Zenit stadium in the world?
Considering the dollar exchange rate that jumped in 2014, the St. Petersburg stadium is unlikely to become the most expensive football facility in the world, but it will also not go far from the first line.
The championship was given to the legendary Wembley, which does not belong to any club. It is where the England national team plays their home matches and where the English Cup final is played. At one time, its reconstruction, more like the construction of a new arena, cost the British $1.25 billion.
Next comes the Brazilian stadium in the capital, Brasilia, which was built for the 2014 World Cup and cost the government $900 million. It is followed by another London giant - the home stadium of the Arsenal football club, which cost $750 million to build.
And so far only the fourth place among football stadiums is the arena on Krestovsky Island. As we have already approximately calculated, the cost of its construction will be about 620 million dollars, if calculated at the current exchange rate.
Who pays for the construction?
When information about the construction of a stadium on Krestovsky Island first appeared, it was planned that Gazprom would pay for its construction. Subsequently, the arena was to be transferred to the balance of the Zenit football club, which also belongs to the gas giant.
However, after some time, information appeared that the construction of the stadium would be paid for from the city budget. The construction budget immediately doubled - to 13-14 billion rubles, and later reached almost 40 billion.
It is also unknown now which organization will own the stadium after construction is completed and the 2018 FIFA World Cup ends. There were rumors that Zenit might even refuse to take responsibility for the arena, since the cost of maintaining it exceeds the income it can generate for the football club.
Why does building a stadium cost so much?
The construction of the Zenit Arena is so expensive for St. Petersburg because this arena will be one of the most technically equipped on the planet.
A standard example is a roll-out field. The stadium lawn will be able to travel outside the arena on rails so that it can be ventilated. This is necessary to create and maintain a high-quality grass surface, which is so necessary for playing football at a high level.
In addition, Zenit Arena will have a unique fire safety system. And the point here is not even how the stadium will fight fires in the premises under the stands with virtually no outside help. The most interesting thing is a robot firefighter that will be able to extinguish fires right in the stands. It will be able to automatically detect the source of a fire, be it a chair set on fire by fans or a lit firecracker. Using a directed jet of water, the robot will be able to extinguish the fire, preventing the threat.
The stadium will also be equipped with one of the best security systems on the planet, which will recognize fans, their tickets, and also display on the monitor in real time all the information about the fan that law enforcement agencies may need.
The fact that the roof of the stadium on Krestovsky Island, which, by the way, is created from the latest generation of light-transmitting materials, will move and move apart to prevent bad weather from spoiling the match, is probably not worth talking about.