Tokyo National Stadium
Saturday, 08 December 07, 09:44 PM · Comments(6)
A word on Tokyo National Stadium, the venue for today's FIFA Club World Cup clash between Mexican side Pachuca and Tunisian outfit Etoile Sportive
du Sahel.
The National Stadium or 'Kokuritsu' as it's affectionately known around these parts, was built in 1958 in preparation for the 1964 Summer Olympic games held in Tokyo. It's an historic venue in Japanese football, where it has hosted the final of Japan's FA Cup - known as the Emperor's Cup, for decades.
It's also a venue that might appear familiar to football fans across the globe, having hosted the final of the Intercontinental Cup - the forerunner to today's FIFA Club World Cup, from 1980 to 2001. I remember Aussie goalkeeper Mark Bosnich turning in an heroic performance when Manchester United beat Palmeiras 2-0 to lift the Intercontinental Cup in 1999.
With Japan co-hosting the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the National Stadium has taken on a particularly dated look. It's location within the heart of
the Tokyo city centre, however, not to mention the sheer history that surrounds the venue, means that it should remain an integral part of Japanese football for years to come.
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The one thing that I remember about the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo is that the toilets didn't look as if they'd been cleaned since the 1964 games!
yes buddi very nice idk why but u suck buudi
Why wasn't Tokyo a venue for the 2002 FIFA World CUp? Seems strange, seeing how Tokyo is one of the most important cities in the world, and yet was nowhere to be seen on the list of venues.
6 Comments · Add yours
The seats are remarkably comfortable but, being possessed of a track for olympic events, rather far off from the field.
Judging from the bloodstains left at the goalpost, I would say that both
the stadium and the FIFA could use some renovation. What's the point in playing a game if the result is fixed? Was Argentina to afraid to play against Mexico?
Pardon?