Respected media outlet FranceFootball has named their top 30 stadiums for atmosphere in football and Celtic Park come in the top ten!
Here were their parameters:
How to establish the top 30 hottest stadiums? And besides, what is a hot stadium? It is a place where one feels a thousand emotions, sometimes contradictory, between the pleasure of being there, in the midst of others, and the fear of this passionate and therefore excessive crowd, between aggressive noise and unifying songs etc. The problem is that there is no instrument for measuring emotions. FF selected thirty, classified them … and necessarily dismissed them in an arbitrary, unjust manner.
La Bombonera took the top spot and Anfield was number two. Obviously, Celtic fans would refute being behind the Reds but the club is in great company in the top ten. Some of the most passionate and noisy supporters in the world are in that top ten.
There’s no room for any other Scottish team in the top 30, our pals at St Pauli just make it in at number 30.
1. La Bombonera (Boca Juniors)
2. Anfield (Liverpool)
3. Signal Iduna Park (Borussia Dortmund)
4. Marakana (Red Star Belgrade)
5. Celtic Park (Celtic)
6. El Monumental (River Plate)
7. Vodaphone Park (Besiktas)
8. Karaiskaki Stadium (Olimpiacos)
9. San Memes (Athletic Bilbao)
10. Maracana (Flamengo, Fluminese)
11. Turk Telekom Stadium (Galatasaray)
12. De Kuip (Feyenoord)
13. San Paolo (Napoli)
14. Velodrome (Marseille)
15. Stade Geoffroy-Guichard (St Etienne)
16. Cairo International Stadium (Al Ahly)
17. Sukru Saracoglu Stadium (Fenerbahce)
18. Mestalla (Valencia)
19. Toumba Stadium (PAOK)
20. Mohamed V Stadium (Raja Casablanca)
21. Campeon del Siglo (Penarol)
22. St James’ Park (Newcastle United)
23. Stadio Olimpica (Roma)
24. Estadio Pedro Bidegain (San Lorenzo)
25. Polish Army Stadium (Legia Warsaw)
26. Estadio da Luz (Benfica)
27. July 5 Stadium (MC Alger)
28. Stade Olympique de Rades (Esperance)
29. Parc des Princes (PSG)
30. Millerntor (St Pauli)
Celtic Park is renowned for its amazing atmosphere with some of the best players to ever play the game climbing up to lavish praise on the atmosphere Celtic supporters can whip up on a European night.
It has been the base for some astonishing victories throughout the club’s history. Barcelona have been beaten twice there in the past 20 years. Juventus, Manchester Utd and others have all fallen under the atmosphere of Paradise.
Champions League nights are something Celtic supporters relish. As we sit locked out of football for the time being, we can only dream of the nights of banishing Europe’s best.
What !!!, no ayebrokes, this will lead to the usual suspects marching with their wee broon dugs, marching bands ( in their crimpoline colorful outfits ), Paris beware, the hun horde will descend upon you.