The new Stadium of France has already been in the news because of allegations that pollution in the soil underneath it has turned the grass yellow - claims denied by the builders. Now questions are being asked about access to the stadium, which will stage several World Cup games, including the opening match and the final.

It stands on the edge of Paris, flanked on two sides by a canal and on the other two by express motorways, both of which are heavily used and often jammed at peak hours. The organisers, fearing the arrival of 12,000 vehicles, are urging people not to take their cars to the stadium, where there'll be no parking except for 6,000 cars and buses which have already received permission to use the existing spaces. Only 2,000 other spaces are available in the immediate area surrounding the stadium.

The first match ever staged there, with attendance limited to one-tenth of its capacity, was accompanied by memorable traffic jams. Some would-be spectators gave up as they sat in their cars with half-time approaching, and headed home.