Commerzbank-Arena [Frankfurt, Germany] by burchet24

Mirror

The Waldstadion (official name:Commerzbank-Arena) is a 52,300 seat football stadium in Frankfurt, Germany. It is the home of Eintracht Frankfurt of the Bundesliga. The Waldstadion was first opened in 1925 and during World War II it was used for political events of the Nazi Party.

The stadium has been named "Commerzbank-Arena" since July 2005. But most people^{[citation needed]}, especially the fans of Eintracht Frankfurt, still call it Waldstadion. During the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the stadium was called "FIFA WM Stadion Frankfurt" (in English, "FIFA World Cup Stadium Frankfurt"). Large modifications were made for the tournament with the stadium being nearly completely rebuilt and modernized. Now it is one of Germany's biggest stadiums and there have already been some important events in 2005, such as the finale of the Confederations Cup.

One modification involved suspending a large four-sided structure over the stadium with large screens on each side for the crowds to see. On sunny days this creates a large shadow on the pitch, making it more difficult to watch matches via television because the cameras have to adjust between the light dark areas of the pitch. During the first match in the stadium of the 2006 World Cup between England andParaguay, a goal kick from England goalkeeper Paul Robinson struck the video cube and bounced into play.

During the South Korea vs Togo match the roof was closed over the stadium, despite the weather being dry and sunny, presumably to shade the whole pitch and avoid the effects of the shadow. This decision was criticised by some because it meant the stadium became very hot and humid on an already hot and humid day.