Busan passes test

Scotland's bubble burst in Busan

By John May BBC Sport Online

Busan's Asian Cup Stadium has been compared in appearance to London's ill-fated Millennium Dome.

But unless seen from a Scottish viewpoint, it does not share the Dome's potential for disaster.

South Korea's friendly against Scotland was the first dry-run for the nations World Cup venues.

With their attention to detail, the Koreans would have noted any little glitches, prior to ironing them out for when the eyes of the world fall upon them.

Like the Dome - but unlike Scotland's football team - the Asian Cup stadium looks like a million dollars, is a masterpiece of design and construction, and is designed to be versatile.

But unlike like the Scottish team, it does not have as many faults as a 20-year-old Trabant driving along Southern California's earthquake zone.

Some people find Busan's Asian Cup stadium a sheer delight

Ironically the biggest problem Scotland encountered was a familiar one they shrug off in their homeland - rain.

Scotland were denied the chance to train on the Asian Cup pitch because of torrential rain.

But they seemed happy enough with the huge floodlit, warm-up area in the stadium precincts.

Any problems experienced during the World Cup are likely to be more with the infrastructure rather than the stadium itself.

With a population of 4m, Busan is South Korea's second-largest city.

Friendly locals

The condensed pocket-sized geographical guide tells that it is the world's fourth largest port, is a tourist centre with sweeping beaches, and also has Korea's largest fish market.

Not surprisingly, Busan bustles and attempts to ease its chronic traffic problems and improve road access to the stadium were hit when contractors building a vital arterial road bridge went bust.

A concerned government appointed a new contractor, but the bridge will not be finished before the World Cup, promising a fair bit of traffic chaos.

Teams will be provided with police escorts, but elsewhere the transport problems will echo past Olympics gridlocks such as Atlanta.

Non Koreans attempting to find the stadium will find multilingual signposting ranging from non-existent to poor.

The locals are friendly and only too willing to help, but may find themselves unable to, despite their best intentions.

Not everyone finds Busan's stadium a bubble of fun

Once inside the stadium, though, it is a stunning venue, both on and off the pitch.

It has a lush, true surface to which the phrases "billiard table" and "bowling green" are almost an insult.

Crowds verge on fanatical and the synchronised sea of red shirts behind the goals rejoices in the name Korean Team Fighting.

Visiting supporters should not be concerned, though, about any outbreaks of Tai-Kwon-Do or martial arts. Football hooliganism is unheard of.

In a country where the electronics industry is a by-word, the loss of live pictures to the broadcaster screening the Scotland friendly is a bit of a worry.

But as Korean industries have proved, the country has a real get-it-done attitude and if there are hiccups, they will be ironed out.