A little history – In Berlin, the stadium of Nazi Germany
Tonight’s match is being played at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, a tourist attraction in the German capital. Inaugurated in 1913 to host the 1916 Summer Olympics, ultimately canceled due to the First World War, it was rebuilt for those of 1936. In power since 1933, the Nazis spent 42 million marks to make it a enclosure with 86,000 to 110,000 seats, depending on the configuration.
In 1936, the staging of propagandist Joseph Goebbels was weakened by the four gold medals of the American athlete Jesse Owens. Aged 23, the colored sprinter won the 100m and the 200m. He also gave his team victory in the 4x100m, widening the gap with his German and Italian competitors. Under the eyes of Adolf Hitler, he took the gold medal in the long jump by beating the German Luz Long.
Renovated twice, for the 1974 and 2006 World Cups, it retains the features of Nazi architecture and now seats 74,475. Hertha Berlin, now in the second division, plays its matches there. In 2006, Italy won the World Cup final there on penalties. During that match, Frenchman Zinedine Zidane delivered his famous headbutt to defender Marco Materazzi.
