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 Although there have been no formal discussions about the match
taking place, Andrei Bocharov, the governor of the Volgograd region,
said he would like the two nations to meet in a friendly
international marking the official opening of the Victory Stadium.
"We would welcome such a match here, it would be a match of peace,"
Bocharov told reporters at the construction site.
"I am sure that a match such as Germany against Russia would capture
the public's imagination in this city and I am sure the demand for
tickets would be far greater than the capacity the stadium could
hold."
One of 12 venues that will host World Cup matches in 2018, the
Victory Stadium is due to be completed in late 2017, with seating
for 45,000 spectators.
The new stadium will replace the now-demolished Central Stadium, the
home of Rotor Volgograd, and is being built on land where the Battle
of Stalingrad took place between Soviet and Nazi German troops.
During building works, the remains of two Red Army soldiers were
discovered in an underground bunker and reburied with full military
honors while unexploded bombs and other ordnance have been found and
made safe.
"We would be happy to have the match here between Russia and Germany
after the stadium is finished at the end of 2017," Bocharov said.
"The match could of course be played during the World Cup, either
way it would be a match of peace.
"But if it was the opening match at the stadium, that would be a
very interesting and that would be the match of peace."
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There was no immediate response to Bocharov's proposal from either
the German or Russian football associations but Bocharov said he
would raise the idea with Russia's Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko, who
would need to approve the fixture.
Germany, who won last year's World Cup in Brazil, have often played
warm-up matches in countries hosting the biggest international
tournaments and any match between the defending champions and hosts
would be a major drawcard.
Germany and Russia have played each other just twice on Russian
soil, both times in Moscow, but a game in Volgograd, formerly known
as Stalingrad, would be highly symbolic.
The Battle of Stalingrad took place from August 1942 until February
1943, involving millions of troops, but was eventually reduced to
hand to hand fighting in the rubble of the city that was almost
totally destroyed.
"There are a lot of close ties between Germany and Russia now, but a
match at this new stadium would be very special," Bocharov said.
(Additional writing by Mitch Phillips in London; Editing by Julian
Linden)
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