‘Got, Not Got’ is getting in a World Cup mood…

Here are 10 World Cup Venues no longer with us:

Stadio delle Alpi, Turin, Italy. 1990 – 2009.
Built for Italia 90, it hosted Brazil v Sweden, Brazil v Costa Rica, Brazil v Scotland, Argentina v Brazil, and the semi-final between England and West Germany.
It was unpopular with Juventus fans due to poor sight lines, so the decision was made to rip it down and start again.

Estadi de Sarrià, Barcelona, Spain. 1923 – 1997.
The home ground of RCD Espanyol , this stadium was the venue for all three Group C matches in 1982. Argentina v Italy, Argentina v Brazil and the classic encounter when Italy beat Brazil 3-2.

The Rheinstadion, Düsseldorf, Germany. 1925 – 2000.
The home ground of Fortuna Düsseldorf hosted Sweden v Bulgaria, Sweden v Uruguay, Yugoslavia West Germany, West Germany v Sweden, and Sweden v Yugoslavia in the 1974 tournament.
It was demolished to make way for a new stadium.

Roker Park, Sunderland, England. 1898 – 1997.
Sunderland’s ground hosted three games in Group 4 in 1966 – Italy v Chile, Soviet Union v Italy and Soviet Union v Chile. It was also used for one quarter final – Soviet Union v Hungary.
Roker Park was knocked down in 1997 when Sunderland moved to the Stadium of Light. A housing estate now stands on the site.

Ayresome Park, Middlesbrough, England. 1903 – 1997.
Middlesbrough’s home hosted three games from Group 4 during the 1966 tournament: Soviet Union v North Korea, Chile v North Korea, and the Koreans’ incredible 1-0 win over Italy.
Ayresome Park was demolished in 1997 to make way for houses when Boro moved to the Riverside Stadium.

White City Stadium, London. 1908 – 1985.
The owners of Wembley Stadium refused to cancel a greyhound racing night for a piffling matter like the World Cup so White City had to be used for one game in 1966 – the 2-1 victory for Uruguay over France
Built for the 1908 Summer Olympics, the stadium was demolished in 1985 to make way for BBC White City.

The Hardturm, Zurich, Switzerland. 1929 – 2008.
The home of Grasshopper-Club Zurich was the venue for Hungary 9:0 South Korea, and West Germany 7:2 Turkey; as well as Austria’s victories over Scotland, Czechoslovakia and Uruguay. It was demolished to make way for a new stadium in 2008.

Stadio Giorgio Ascarelli, Naples, Italy. 1930 – 1942.
A multi-purpose sports stadium that hosted two games during the 1934 World Cup: Hungary 4:2 Egypt in the first round and the third place play off between Germany and Austria. It was destroyed beyond repair by an allied bombing raid in 1942.

The Stadio Nazionale del PNF, Rome, Italy. 1927 – 1953.
The National Stadium hosted three matches of the 1934 tournament, Italy v United States; Czechoslovakia v Germany; and the final between Italy and Czechoslovakia.
The stadium was flattened in 1953 when Lazio and AS Roma both moved to the Olympic Stadium.

Estadio Pocitos, Montevideo, Uruguay. 1921 – 1938.
Home to Peñarol the Pocitos was the scene of the first ever World Cup goal in 1930, when Lucien Laurent scored for France in the 19th minute of their game against Mexico. It also staged Romania v Peru.
It was demolished in 1933 when Peñarol moved to the Estadio Centenario.

Much, much more lost stuff in ‘The Lost World of Football’ – rediscover it… available now in branches of WH Smiths and Waterstones or can be ordered online here…