2. 2006 World Cup: Corruption, Stadiums & The Battle Of Nuremberg (Part 1)

On the first episode of a special two-parter, Francesco and Nicola travel back to the summer of 2006 in Germany and to what many believe to be one of the best World Cups of the century! After reminiscing on some of their fond memories from the tournament, they dive into how Germany became the host and the surrounding allegations of corruption (6:10). This part includes tales of corporate cronyism, arms deals and FIFA committee members succumbing to stress. Homage is also paid to Serbia & Montenegro's sole appearance as well as to Togo and Trinidad & Tobago (11:50) before providing an overview of the state-of-the-art stadia built by the Germans (21:40).Then, the pièce de résistance takes us to the Frankenstadion in Nuremberg where the Netherlands faced off against Portugal in a Round of 16 showdown for the ages (28:45). How did the referee end up handing out 16 yellow and 4 red cards? Was Portugal that much better than the Netherlands? And did Marco Van Basten shoot himself in the foot with his stubbornness?Tune in next week for Part 2, including tales of Jens Lehmann's socks, an underwhelming Argentina side and our first ever quiz!Make sure to follow us on our Instagram (@football2000spod) and tell us of more topics you would like to hear. Finally, make sure to give us a rating & review and to share this podcast with anyone you think may enjoy it! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.