Ground zero
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ByEurosport
Published 25/05/2005 at 14:35 GMT
The Ataturk Olympic Stadium might have a five-star rating from UEFA, but it is far from the ideal location for the Champions League final. A white elephant of a creation 30km from Istanbul, its remote location could cause chaos on Wednesday evening.
Eurosport
Image credit: Eurosport
The 78,000-capacity Ataturk, as its full name suggests, was purpose-built for Turkey's unsuccessful bids for the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.
A sensational structure designed by Michel Macary, also creator of the Stade de France in Paris, it is let down not by its facilities but by a location that even seasoned estate agents would struggle to talk up.
Rising out of nothing in a barren, faceless suburb, the stadium was intended as the centre of a giant Olympic centre that never existed.
As a result, it stands out on a limb, 15km from the closest airport and 30km from downtown Istanbul, serviced by a single road.
Match organisers advised fans to allow three hours to get to the ground. Quite how many of the estimated 42,000 Liverpool and 20,000 Milan fans will heed the warning remains to be seen.
Lateness and frayed tempers seem assured. Given the chequered history of English fans in Turkey, such confrontations would be dangerous and unnecessary.
DESERTED STANDS
The stadium itself is close to pristine as it rarely hosts major events. Galatasaray moved there for the 2003/04 season, much to the fans' chagrin, before returning to their renovated Ali Sami Yen home.
Just two games took place there this term - the derby between Instanbulspor and Galatasaray, then the Turkish Cup final. On neither occasion was it even remotely full.
"It's really big and very modern," says Galatasaray's French midfielder Frank Ribery. "The only problem is that even the two biggest clubs in Turkey can't fill it."
"When we played there, there were maybe 20 or 30,000 supporters but, frankly, we couldn't hear them. It's a shame because the stadium is truly great."
Whatever faults the ground may have, a packed house with some of Europe's most vocal fans should ensure a fantastic atmosphere and a great arena for Turkey's first Champions League final.
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