Rome Sports & Outdoors Tips by cheekymarieh

A View From The Visitors End - Olympic Stadium Olympic Stadium Review

I went to watch Middlesbrough play AS Roma. Middlesbrough may have lost 2-1 on the evening but we qualified for the quarter finals of the UEFA Cup on away goals thanks to a goal on the evening by Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. Despite all the intimidation and 'dirty tricks' we faced, still the team qualified.

The Olympic Stadium in Rome sounds grand doesn't it? The photos that I took of it make it look impressive too, but there are no close ups. I have never been to such a dirty stadium (and there are probably about 80 to choose from).( In Ostrava we dared actually sit on our seat out in the open, they managed to keep them clean.) The Olympic Stadium has a roof covering the stadium. I don't know if the visitors area had ever seen a cleaner! My friend bravely visited the toilet and immediately regretted it. It was worse than the Old Wembley stadium ... and they have knocked that down and rebuilt it!

But police who don't have a clue spoilt the day though. Two and a half hours sat on a coach waiting to go to the stadium ... and because of their ineptness we missed the first 7 minutes. To add insult to injury, it was one hour and thirty five minutes after the game finished before they let us out of the stadium. There are now two football grounds that I will never return to - Stamford Bridge (even if I was tempted to go back on my word there the prices would put me off these days) and now the Olympic Stadium.

Equipment: Take something to clean your seat with. The Stadium was built in 1930 and the seats don't seem to have been cleaned since then.

Also take some comfortable shoes so that you can stand for the whole match.

Address: Via di Trigoria, 00128 Roma

Directions: Take bus 910 from Roma Termini to Terminus Piazzo Antonio Mancini then walk through the park and you will see the stadium. If you are a visting supporter DO NOT follow official advice of getting the organised transport. Make your own way.

Other Contact: info@asroma.it

Phone: +39 06 501911

Theme: Other

Website: http://www.asroma.it/