MOSCOW (AP) " The Russian city of St. Petersburg said Friday it has fired the general contractor building a trouble-plagued stadium which is to host World Cup matches in 2018. St. Petersburg City Hall said in a statement that it is firing Transstroy, the general contractor, over the repeated delays and cost overruns. "St. Petersburg is getting ready to host the Confederations Cup, and the St. Petersburg government monitors this issue on a daily basis." "The general contractor has discredited itself by breaking its contract obligations and dragging its feet on crucial production and managerial decisions." State news agency Tass quoted City Hall spokesman Andrei Kibitov saying that the stadium will be built on time.

Source: New Zealand Herald July 15, 2016 09:11 UTC