Ataturk a long day’s journey into night

THOSE who still advocate the ‘Bertiebowl’ over the redevelopment of dear old Lansdowne Road should take a trip from the centre of Istanbul out to the Ataturk Olympic Stadium, where tonight’s Champions’ League final between Liverpool and AC Milan will be played in front of 70,000 people.

That’s if any of them get there in time.

The distance is about 20km, but that doesn’t take into account Istanbul’s heavy and often downright scary traffic, not to mention the perils of a belated exit from the motorway maze.