The 2018 FIFA World Cup is just a few weeks away, and Russia, the host country is applying it's finishing touches on the new stadiums that it has built.
However, there is this one stadium that has caught the attention of many.
A Look too Similar for Comfort
The newly constructed World Cup Stadium in Mordovia, the capital of the Russian city Saransk was recently unveiled to the public, and it was widely observed that the structure bears a marked and uncanny resemblance to the FNB stadium located in Johannesburg,South Africa.
It has been noticed that both stadiums exhibit strikingly similar mannerisms in their features – be it the shape or the faux-mosaic cladded exteriors.
What Does that Mean?
Now, we would have thought that people would bring in infringement charges on the makers of the Russian stadium. It's what many sports bettors who love Ghana online football betting thought at least.
Yet, it's been far from that case.
Despite the obvious resemblance, the South African architects of the FNB Stadium have shown warm spirits and denied all prevailing rumours of offense at the apparent similarity of designs between both stadium.
What do the makers say?
In fact, Bob Van Bebber, the director of the Architectural Firm Boogertman and its partners has been reported to have said a national South African newspaper that Copying is only the highest act of flattery, even though the fact that ‘very distinct similarities’ can be noticed between the appearances of the newly built museum, and the one at Johannesburg.
Additionally, Van Bebber also pointed out the orange coloured seats of the Mordovian Stadium and remarked it as yet another possible coincidental similarity.
About the Stadium
So, how is the new stadium different and what can fans expect from it during the 2018 World Cup matches?
The Mordovia Arena, which was designed by Russian designer group SaranskGrazhdanProekt, and is supposed to be one among the nine stadiums that had been built for the primary purpose of hosting the football matches in 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
The stadium would provide seating arrangements to about 44,000 people and had been unveiled in April.
The Russian stadium is set to host its very first match of Japan vs Colombia on June 19th.
However, even before hosting a major league match, the structure is now being subjected to harsh criticism for its blatant copy of the Soccer City stadium.
According to I TV, the exterior of the stadium is inspired from the vernacular art forms of Mordovia, whereas, Johannesburg’s Soccer City was popularly inspired by a calabash with the sort of cladding that is alleged to resemble fire as well as earth.
Meanwhile, Van Bebber has explained that while one might feel that the stadium was a copy,it wasn't so.
Instead, it was just inspired from it as original ideas in it's true form doesn't always exist.
Instead, what has happened here was that the Soccer City stadium only served as an inspiration for the design of this new stadium.
We sure hope that is what has happened here!