The organisation of the World Cup in Russia has attracted widespread praise. In particular, the newly built and refurbished stadiums were hailed as high quality venues worthy of the tournament. But the 'legacy' issue is always a difficult one. Stadiums can easily become white elephants or even if uses are found they may provoke controversy because of sweetheart deals that have to be offered to secure occupancy as in the case of West Ham United and the London Stadium. Greece had one of the worst experiences with its Olympic venues: Abandoned stadiums. The predicament is particularly acute in Russia, where vast distances between host cities, a lack of a strong football tradition outside Moscow and St. Petersburg, and tight regional finances mean that local governments are using creative ways to keep their stadiums in use. Only five top flight teams are privately owned, while the local governments and state-run companies that own the rest struggle to fund their teams. Four...