One stadium has seats reserved for the blind. Another’s seats are so high that spectators can bang their heads on the roof.
They are the butt of jokes between rival fans of Lisbon clubs Benfica and Sporting, who are close to completing construction of the glitzy new stadiums for next year’s European soccer championships.
Sporting said in a statement on its website on Tuesday that dozens of seats which have no view of the pitch have been offered to an association of blind and visually impaired people.
The club denied news reports that its Alvalade XXI Stadium was flawed; saying the section of the stands behind two giant video screens had always been intended for blind people.
The 50 000-seat venue is due to be inaugurated next week with an exhibition game against Manchester United.
Meanwhile, at Benfica’s new Stadium of Light, fans in the top row who leap from their seat at a goal risk smacking their heads on roof girders.
Officials said alterations probably will be made to the seating arrangements at the 65 000-seat stadium, which is to stage the Euro 2004 final.
A cartoon in Tuesday’s edition of sports daily A Bola commented: ”In the middle of all this, we should be glad the pitches are the right size.” – Sapa-AP