After two years of renovation, 46-year-old Cairo Stadium is ready but not as good as was hoped. Mohamed El-Sayed finds out why "At last Cairo will have a stadium," read the headline of one of many a newspaper writing on the subject in July 1960. The papers reported that more than 100,000 spectators would flock on 24 July to watch the inauguration of the biggest stadium in Africa and the Middle East. "President Nasser, accompanied by the Sudanese President Ibrahim Abboud, will inaugurate the stadium, marking the eighth anniversary of the 23 July Revolution", more headlines said. Building Cairo Stadium -- then named Nasser -- was part of a plan envisioned by the July Revolution leaders who sought to play a pioneering role in the region. The government hired the expertise of world famous German architect Warner March, who was renowned for world-class sports facilities, to lay out the design of what was expected to be the region's most fabulous sports facility. Modeled on the Berlin Olympic Stadium, 200,000 square metres were allocated to the stadium in the then new Nasr City. More than LE2 million was spent on Cairo Stadium, a huge amount by the standards of the 1960s. Officials boasted about the huge capacity of the stadium, the Arabic- English scoreboard -- the first in the world -- and the four lighting towers that consumed as much electricity as that used in a city the size of Benha. The government had planned to use the stadium in its bid to host the Olympic Games in 1968, but the 1967 war cancelled such plans. The stadium is not just a place where football matches are played. It has become an integral part of the nation's social fabric. For years it has been hosting the July Revolution celebrations, collective weddings, and peaceful demonstrations against the war on Iraq. For decades, the stadium won the admiration of visiting teams and their supporters. More often than not visiting players and coaches confessed to the fact that the hugeness of the stands, packed with more than 120,000 Egyptian supporters at times, was awe- inspiring. In many a game it played a decisive part in shaking the visiting teams' confidence, leading to defeat. "I still remember the final match of the African Champions League in January 1970 in Cairo Stadium," recalled 57- year-old Suleiman Abdel-Aziz, referring to the game between Ismaili and TP Englebert of Zaire, which Ismaili eventually won. "The nation was still reeling from the 1967 military defeat. More than 120,000 Egyptians -- let alone the 40,000 who couldn't enter -- packed the stadium to support the coastal city team which was forced to leave their city because of the Israeli occupation. "The unprecedented number of roaring fans dropped the hearts of the visiting team, who were the champions of the African continent for the two previous years, down to their legs," Abdel-Aziz said. "It was an opportunity to forget the military defeat and take pride in such a victory, the first for an Egyptian soccer team." But the stadium began to draw criticism after it began to deteriorate, including scathing comments by Real Madrid's coach Vicente Del Bosque after losing 1-0 to Ahli in Cairo Stadium in 2001 during the much publicised match between the European and African clubs of the century. "We lost because of the awful condition of the pitch," Del Bosque claimed. Stadium-goers also began to complain about the shabby concrete benches in the second- and third- class stands, especially after watching dazzling stadiums in other countries during recent World Cup competitions. Many spectators began calling for a new system of entry and exit to be employed. "It took roughly an hour to get from the outside gate to your seat," complained a disgruntled Mustafa Khalil, a regular stadium-goer. "It was a hectic journey which involved passing through many gates, getting hit by policemen using clubs and standing amidst suffocating crowds. "In the stands, the number of those who entered without tickets were more than those who have tickets, resulting in quarrels over the seats. Many times I watched matches while sitting on the floor. You cannot imagine the dirtiness of the bathrooms. Fans also suffered during the exit journey," Khalil added. As the third and fourth generations of stadiums began to rise, and as most of the world's state-of-the-art soccer stadia made the switch to all-seater venues, along with modern, clean and safety- conscious facilities, there was indispensable necessity for drastic revamp. Thus, two years ago, the Ministry of Youth closed Cairo Stadium for renovation. "New grass was planted and a state- of-the-art electricity system was installed," says Abdel-Aziz Amin, director of the stadium. "The concrete seats were replaced with 74, 500 plastic chairs in all the stands. Two huge scoreboards were installed to display footages and results of other games being played at the same time in other stadiums. New entry, exit and ticketing systems were adopted to facilitate the process. Monitoring cameras connected to a control room will spot trouble-makers and guide policemen to them," Amin added. Although the revamp cost LE150 million, there is disappointment. "The pitch is not that good and it takes us a very long time to reach our seats," many spectators complained following recent Egyptian friendlies against Uganda and Senegal. Amin, however, maintains that the company responsible for providing the soil and grass for the field did not meet the requirements, "but we forced the company to remove the soil and bring in new turf. And by the start of the African Cup, it will look great." While some observers argue that Cairo Stadium might not live up to expectations, others believe it is head and shoulders above most African stadiums where "you cannot imagine the condition of some of their pitches," one sports critic wrote. "A few years ago I watched a street vendor with his wares standing behind the goal post in Kumasi Stadium during a World Cup qualifier between Ghana and Morocco. This could never happen in Cairo Stadium or any other Egyptian stadium." : Address: Al-Istad Al-Bahari Street, from Salah Salem, Nasr City. Opened: 1960 Seating Capacity: 74,100 Tribune: 1,100 First class: 17,000 Second class: 12,000 Third class: 44,000 Military Academy Stadium: Address: Orouba Street, Heliopolis, Cairo Opened: 1989 Seating capacity: 28,500 Tribune: 400 First class: 2,200 Second class: 7,660 Third class: 18,175 Alexandria Stadium: Address: Hay Charq, Alexandria Opened: 1929 Seating Capacity: 19,676 Tribune: 108 First class: 368 Second class: 5,155 Third class: 18,000 Haras Al-Hedoud (Border Guards) Stadium: Address: Al-Max, Alexandria Opened: 2003 Seating Capacity: 22,000 Tribune: 350 First class: 1,128 Second class: 5,155 Third class: 15,470 Ismailia Stadium: Address: Reda Street, Ismailia City Opened: 1934 Seating capacity: 16,606 VIP Tribune: 310 Tribune (right & left): 1,250 Tribune (middle): 528 First class: 2,583 Second class: 2,436 Third class: 9,500 Port Said Stadium: Address: 23 of July Street, New Olympic City zone Opened: 1954 Seating capacity: 24,060 Tribune: 460 First class: 1,600 Second class: 7,660 Third class: 18,175
