MOSCOW: Construction delays over the new Samara World Cup Arena have been resolved, according to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko.

The former Sports Minister and ex-head of the local organising committee was visiting Samara to follow up on assurances about preparations recently given to Gianni Infantino, president of world federation FIFA during a flying visit to Russia.

April 28, rather than the previously stated April 7,  has been scheduled for the first test match. This would be around seven weeks before the start of the first World Cup in Russia.

Mutko, according to news agency TASS said: “All the key issues at the Samara Arena have been resolved: the stadium is in the final stages of construction, and in three weeks it should be in the final stage of readiness.”

Work on the roof of the 45,000-capacity venue was now in its final stage.

Samara will host six matches – the group stage ties Costa Rica v Serbia (June 17), Denmark v Australia (June 21), Uruguay v Russia (June 25) and Senegal v Colombia (June 28), as well as one game in the second round and one quarter-final.

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