Atlantic Stadium Bordeaux Metropole — Attraction in Bordeaux

OK, it was the first game of the rugby World Cup in Bordeaux. It was very very hot so, uncharacteristically, we'd been drinking lots of water and not much beer.

The tram to the ground was as packed as a rush hour tube in London. This would have been tolerable, were it not for the fact it was running (very slowly) in the full glare of 40° sun without any air con and no opening windows. It must have been 50° in there and everyone was soaked through with sweat and the floor was wet with sweat. It was generally agreed among the passengers I was jammed up against that none of us had ever been so hot. This was potentially dangerous. The journey was truly hellish, we'd all finished the water we were carrying and when the doors opened at the ground, escaping into a windless, blazing 40° afternoon felt blessedly cool.

This Tenko-tram experience was of course, not the fault of the Stade Bordeaux per se, but getting into the ground took quite a long time and we were banking on getting water in the stadium. What Stade Bordeaux should actually have done in the heat of that afternoon was to give out water, simply on the basis of health and safety. What they actually did was to run the drinks outlets so ineptly that my mate had to queue for 40 minutes in full sun to pay €3 a bottle for water. (he missed most of the first half). This was disgraceful at a world cup they've had 5 years to prepare for.

The next day I discovered huge dense black bruises on the backs of my legs, which my doctor has confirmed today, are almost certainly due to being so dehydrated that relatively light pressure can rupture blood vessels (I didn't know this was a thing). So, simply sitting in my seat at the stadium had caused massive contusions - because of dehydration - because there wasn't adequate access to water in extreme heat at a major world sports event attended by 42,000 people.

If I'd have known, I'd have kept my empty bottle and filled it from the sink in the toilets. Maybe not that safe, but don't even think about trying to buy anything to drink...

THE CHEVRON-WEARING TRENDSETTERS It is no secret that Paris Saint-Germain has dominated French football over recent seasons, thanks to the club’s finances. It’s a state of affairs that has attracted criticism in France, but nouveau riche clubs buying themselves titles is not news in the football world, and FC des Girondins de Bordeaux offers the proof. In 1979, when Claude Bez, the property magnate and former club treasurer, took over the presidency of the club, Bordeaux had long been away from the spotlight. Les Girondins hadn’t won the title for 30 years, and had even spent a couple of seasons in the second division – something that the visionary Claude Bez was determined to put right. Money was pumped into the club and suddenly Bordeaux were a team to be reckoned with. Between 1984 and 1987 they won the league three times and the French Cup twice, a feat which also meant that for a while Bordeaux would provide the backbone of the French national team. The success came at a cost, however, and in 1991 they were forcibly demoted because of their enormous budget deficit (around £45 million). After the scandal, the club returned straight to the top tier in 1992. Since then players like Zinedine Zidane, Christophe Dugarry and Yoann Gourcuff have taken the team to further successes, albeit not quite as dramatic as those of the mid 1980s.

CLUB: FC des Girondins de Bordeaux NICKNAME: FCGB, Les Girondins, Le Club au Scapulaire (the Club with the Chevron) and Les Marine et Blanc (the Navy and Whites) FOUNDED: 1881 STADIUM: Matmut Atlantique, Bordeaux (41,458 capacity) HISTORIC PLAYERS: Alain Giresse, Jean Tigana, Bixente Lizarazu, Zinedine Zidane, Ulrich Ramé and Christophe Dugarry

Zinedine Zidane wearing the famous chevron crest of Bordeaux. In his four years with the club the France midfielder made 139 appreareances and scored 28 goals. In 1996 Zidane received the award for Ligue 1 Player...

Firstly, the downside... It is a 2/3 km north of the city. It is deliberately out of the way and there are virtually no facilities outside of the ground. As you approach the stadium, it doesn't really stand out and it felt disappointing. However. when you get into the ground and study the stadium. It becomes increasingly impressive. It is beautifully designed. With over 900 stanchions supporting the structure. This and the white colour, makes it look like a piece of modern art...c'est French style. When you see the pitch for the first time, it takes the breath away. The viewpoint from my seat was excellent. The sound system and the large screens are excellent. New stadia in the uk look the same, lack character and have little architectural style. This lovely stadium is unique and would have had 5 stars if it was closer to the city and/or had more facilities near...