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Goodbye Wembley England-Germany match marks farewell for twin towers
LONDON (Reuters) -- When England hosts Germany in their World Cup Group 9 qualifier on Saturday, it will be the last time a first-class football match is played at Wembley. Even with 475 million pounds (US$691.6 million) and three years set aside to replace the most famous soccer venue in the world, the architects have an unenviable task. To succeed, they will have to generate the kind of intangible wonder that, for 77 years, has made the old Empire Stadium so special. The sense of history exuded by the grand old lady is enough for a new book on the venue to be entitled simply "The Greatest Stage." But on Saturday, Wembley Stadium, its distinctive white twin towers and all, will become history itself. Thereafter a series of charity games are scheduled, with a gala evening to commemorate the passing of the old stadium to be held on November 2. Less than 24 hours later, bulldozers and wrecking balls will move in to demolish the structure. To arrive even at this point has been a messy and fractious process, in stark contrast to the uplifting memories Wembley has provided. Extraordinary debutThe venue has hosted a variety of events, but it was built for football and made an extraordinary debut in 1923. The FA Cup final that year was won by Bolton Wanderers, who beat West Ham United 2-0 in the so-called "White Horse final." Official figures put the attendance at Wembley that day at 126,047 but by kickoff it is estimated that as many as 200,000 fans had squeezed their way into the stadium. With the pitch covered by a sea of faces, folklore has it that King George V ordered the surface to be cleared so that the match could be played. At which point, Billy, the white horse ridden by PC George Scorey, entered the arena. The only policeman on duty, Scorey and Billy pushed the crowds back behind the touchlines. Order was restored, and Scorey said afterwards: "The fact that the horse was white seemed to attract people's attention. The crowd were good tempered and we pushed them back with Billy's nose." The Football Association made cup finals "all-ticket" occasions thereafter. It was in the 1920s that the bowl-shaped Wembley was first thought of as best venue in the world. Even so, it was sold for the first time at the end of the decade for 122,000 pounds, less than one sixth of what it cost to build. The new owners introduced other sports to Wembley's portfolio, such as greyhound racing (when the hare was even caught in 1927) and speedway. The Pope visited in 1982 and Wembley has also staged a series of music concerts, including pop star Michael Jackson, opera singer Luciano Pavarotti and the Live Aid charity event in 1985. In September, American rock band Bon Jovi had the honor of being the last music act to appear on the stage. American football took its bow in 1986, with 82,000 turning out to watch the Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys; a baseball match was staged there in 1934, and even cricket could be seen on the hallowed turf in 1991 -- until the charity event was rained out. Easiest of conversionsThe Rugby League Challenge Cup final also found its home at Wembley, with the most memorable moments provided by Don Fox and Shaun Edwards. In 1968, Fox missed the easiest of conversions in front of the posts to prevent his club, Wakefield Trinity, from defeating Leeds in the Challenge Cup final, while in 1990, Edwards played for more than an hour with a broken cheekbone as his club, Wigan, beat Warrington. Rugby union has also had its moments under the twin towers. In 1999, Wales was inspired as it denied England the Grand Slam in the Five Nations championship with a last-ditch try by Scott Gibbs. In boxing, British sports fans remember fondly the victory by Frank Bruno over Oliver McCall to take a version of the world heavyweight title in 1995 and, moreover, the punch with which Henry Cooper floored a young Muhammad Ali in 1966. Cassius Clay, as he was still known at that time, got up to knock Cooper out in the next round. Few occasions can match the Olympic Games, however. London, and Wembley, staged the Games of 1948. Fanny Blankers-Koen won four gold medals for the Netherlands, Emile Zatopek starred in the 10,000 meters for Czechoslovakia. Also at those Games, Branislav Stankovic, the Yugoslavia defender, became the first footballer to be sent off at Wembley in a game of football. Hungary's players also achieved a first in 1953. The "Mighty Magyars," led by striker Ferenc Puskas, became the first non-British side to beat England at Wembley. A stunning 6-3 win signaled a shake-up of football's world order. The same year saw the "Matthews final," when 38-year-old Stanley Matthews, who was later knighted, inspired Blackpool to a 4-3 comeback win over Bolton in the FA Cup final. Three years later, Bert Trautmann, the Manchester City goalkeeper, played on with a broken neck to help his side beat Birmingham City in the Cup final. Other great footballing memories at Wembley have been provided by Manchester United's European Cup triumph of 1968, the performance of Polish goalkeeper Jan Tomascewski against England in 1973, the goal scored by Argentine Ricky Villa for Tottenham Hotspur against Manchester City in the Cup final of 1981, and Paul Gascoigne's strike for England against Scotland in the 1996 European Championship. Defining momentNone, however, come close to the defining moment in Wembley's history -- England's World Cup final victory. It was 1966 and, on the only occasion that England has hosted the World Cup, Geoff Hurst scored a hat trick to help England beat West Germany 4-2 after extra time. It was the stuff of legend. Hurst's second goal was deemed to have crossed the goalline by a Russian linesman, while BBC television commentator, Kenneth Wolstenholme, marked Hurst's third and England's fourth goal with the now immortal words, "Some people are on the pitch. They think it's all over...it is now!" The new Wembley structure, which will lie at right angles to the present stadium, is also designed to be twice as large, with a 135-foot arch the focal design point. But the twin towers will not be retained, deemed too expensive to move and rebuild. Instead, if the Rugby League museum has its way, one of the most famous landmarks in the sporting world will be taken piece by piece to Cheshire -- sold by Wembley for the grand sum of two pounds. Pragmatism has won the day, as 58-year-old knight Hurst, who will be on a cruise liner sailing out of Southampton with nine other members of the World Cup-winning team on Saturday, readily admits. "After 77 years of great service, we need a new stadium," he said. "I've got more reason than most to want to preserve Wembley and the twin towers, but when it's reduced to rubble the memories will still be there. You can't take those away."
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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