Hamann Bridge Stirring Troubled Waters
March 11, 2005
For all England soccer fans, the twin towers of the old Wembley stadium were as holy as the minarets of Mecca. For the national team's home games, the two white domes atop of the pristine columns rose above the surrounding landscape like beacons.
Before entering the hallowed old stadium, the faithful would have to cross the equally famous Wembley Way, the overpass which connected the gates of the soccer citadel with the world outside.
Now the famous old stadium is gone and a new, state-of-the-art national venue is gradually rising like a phoenix from the ashes, ready to host the England team again from 2006 onwards. The towers are no longer there and Wembley Way has been modified into a new bridge which will connect the fans to their new home.
But the new bridge is now at a center of a growing international conspiracy.
The Dietmar Hamann Bridge?
The London Development Agency thought it would be a good idea to generate interest for the new stadium by running an online competition for fans to name the bridge. Weight of numbers seem to be the deciding factor in the naming of the bridge with the most votes bringing a new moniker to what was the route of the old Wembley Way. And this is why German soccer fans have been inundating the competition with one name: Dietmar Hamann.
The old Wembley played host to one final international game before its demolition: a World Cup qualifier in October 2000 between bitter rivals England and Germany. The prestigious match, the last ever to be played in the historic old stadium, was won by a single goal scored by former Bayern Munich and current Liverpool midfielder Hamann.
Germans mobilized in naming competition
It now seems that a spark has been fanned into a raging inferno with more and more Germans voting for the Dietmar Hamann Bridge, much to the horror of England fans. But they may have some competition. A similar band of saboteurs from Ireland have been mobilized in a bid to have the bridge named after their iconic captain, Manchester United's Roy Keane.
The competition ends on March 15. Only then will the English know if international mischief has prevailed.