A barrier that makes the memory of the Berlin Wall look ridiculous: raised to separate those who have from those who need, it divides the globe into north and south, and draws borders within each country and within each city. King Fahd Stadium in Saudi Arabia has marble and gold boxes and carpeted stands, but it has no memory or much of anything to say.” The final match of the 1974 World Cup, won by Germany, is played day after day and night after night at Munich’s Olympic Stadium. In Milan, the ghosts of Giuseppe Meazza scores goals that shake the stadium bearing his name. The concrete terraces of Camp Nou in Barcelona speak Catalan, and the stands of San Mamés in Bilbao talk in Basque. From the depths of Azteca Stadium, you can hear the ceremonial chants of the ancient Mexican ball game. At Bombonera in Buenos Aires, drums boom from half a century ago. Maracanã is still crying over Brazil’s 1950 World Cup defeat. Montevideo’s Centenario Stadium sighs with nostalgia for the glory days of Uruguayan soccer. There is nothing less mute than stands bereft of spectators.Īt Wembley, shouts from the 1966 World Cup, which England won, still resound, and if you listen very closely you can hear groans from 1953 when England fell to the Hungarians. There is nothing less empty than an empty stadium. Stand in the middle of the field and listen. Have you ever entered an empty stadium? Try it.
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