RPL stadiums: Krasnodar

On 23 October 2016, the first Russian Premier Liga match took place at the new FC Krasnodar stadium, in which the hosts beat Amkar Perm.

“We must build not only for ourselves, but also for our children and grandchildren”

In 2011, work began on preparing the stadium territory, and in April 2013 the Turkish company Esta Construction began construction. Almost three years later, Krasnodar President Sergey Galitsky hoped that the stadium would open in the summer at the beginning of the season, but construction was completed later in September that year.

The day before the first game at the new arena, Galitsky gave journalists a tour of the stadium. “In Russia, we must learn to build not only for ourselves, but also for our children and grandchildren,” said the head of the Krasnodar club. “This project will never pay for itself; it's clear enough. There was no task to enter any payback period for it. Twenty games a year makes it impossible to see a return on the investment.”

On 9 October, the stadium opened with a friendly match between the national teams of Russia and Costa Rica. The first goal in the history of the arena was scored by Costa Rican Randall Azofeifa, and the visitors beat Stanislav Cherchesov's team 4-3. Krasnodar made their debut at the stadium on 20 October and lost 1-0 to Schalke in a Europa League group stage match. Three days later they hosted their first RPL match, beating Amkar Perm 1-0 with the winning goal scored by Yury Gazinskiy. On 28 October, Krasnodar await a historic event: their home group-stage debut in the Champions League against 2012 winners Chelsea.

“We have more differences than similarities with the Colosseum”

The arena project was developed by the SPEECH architectural firm, headed by Sergey Choban, together with the German company gmp Architekten von Gerkan, Marg und Partner. The interior was designed by Maxim Rymar's Studio, and the stadium navigation was developed by Artemy Lebedev's team.

“We worked together with the German office gmp international on the stadium project in Krasnodar in 2011 and 2012,” Choban said in an interview with sportengeneering. “I really liked the initial idea that the customer expressed; ‘make a classic stadium that can stand forever’. As a result, an association with the Roman Colosseum with a large oval shape emerged.”

However, the owner of Krasnodar was not happy with this comparison. “Here in Krasnodar, the stadium is already compared to such a great work as the Colosseum. But if you look closely, we have more differences than similarities. But we tried to make sure that our fans are proud of this stadium, that it leads us into the 21st century, and that they enjoy watching matches here.”

One of the main features of the stadium is that there is no scoreboard; all information is displayed on a 3D screen stretching along the top of stands. “During the match, it seems to me that all the attention of the fans is focused on the media screen, and if any pixel is not so bright, everyone will see it. Although people first of all come to watch football, and the screen is an addition, thanks to which everything that happens almost turns into a show,” said Guara Atrashevich, the media screen director, in an interview with the RPL website.

The building's facade and interior decoration are made of blocks of Italian travertine-natural stone in the Krasnodar team colours of black, white and green. “We abandoned obsessive posters with the club's symbols in favor of modern decorative techniques, such as in the mixed zone,” Maksim Rymar said about the stadium. “Especially strong materials and expressive laconic design will make this interior relevant for many years.” The stadium is also adjacent to the club's Academy and a park of almost 23 hectares, which opened in September 2017.

Bright opposition: matches against Zenit

Krasnodar and Zenit St. Petersburg played at the stadium for the first time on 27 November 2016. At that stage the southerners had never beaten Zenit at home, and only won once overall in St. Petersburg a year earlier. The game turned out to be unforgettable: Artem Dzyuba opened the scoring in the 88th minute, but the Blue-White-Sky Blue team could not hold on. In the third added minute Marat Izmailov equalised, and in the fifth Tornike Okriashvili, who had come on as a substitute, brought the hosts their first home win over Zenit with a spectacular overhead kick.

The team staged another thriller on 20 April 2019. Before the RPL matchday 24 fixture of the 2018/19 season, Zenit led the table and were ahead of Lokomotiv and Krasnodar by six points. The Railwaymen drew 1-1 with CSKA, so Zenit’s victory brought them closer to a first championship in four years.

In a pulsating first half full of attacking threat, the teams exchanged goals as Ivan Ignatiev and Artem Dzyuba scored for their respective sides. In the 69th minute, Yaroslav Rakitsky put the visitors ahead with a powerful free kick only for Mauricio Pereira to equalise in the first minute of added time, but in the fourth Dzyuba sealed a dramatic win for Zenit, powering in a header from a corner.

“I experienced the same feelings that I had at the World Cup,” the forward told the Zenit press service after the match. “I was afraid that I would never experience this again, but today it happened. I love this stadium, the pitch, the atmosphere. This is really my favorite stadium. Krasnodar play open football, we play open football. Today I am the happiest person in the world.”

“These screens remind me of the Quidditch World Cup from Harry Potter”

Russian midfielder Oleg Shatov did not hide his admiration in the opening match of the stadium against Costa Rica. “Krasnodar Stadium is great, the atmosphere is great, and it's a pleasure to play here. This is probably the best thing I've ever seen in my life. Big thanks to Sergey Galitsky for such a beautiful stadium. I'm looking forward to seeing Krasnodar and coming back here again.”

Vyacheslav Podberezkin, playing for Krasnodar, appreciated the stadium not only as a football player, but also as a fan. “I watched the Russia game from the stands and felt how comfortable the fans were in this arena. There were no queues or traffic jams at the entrance and exit of the stadium, despite the full house. Everything is thought out and made for the convenience of the audience, a great view from any point. And it is still very comfortable. From the first moment, I had the feeling that I had come home, and there was no desire to leave. I want to be here, play football or watch games from the stands.”

Many foreign fans on Reddit were also enthusiastic: “Krasnodar is like a small town in the United States,” wrote user lordemort13. “The stadium looks fantastic, I hope Krasnodar can fill it every week,” Devbuscus added.

And someone even remembered the Harry Potter films. “These screens remind me of the Quidditch World Cup from Harry Potter.”

Photo: Andrey Shramko/Krasnodar