Ghosts of 'Death Match' linger

The stone colonnade entrance is in desperate need of a lick of paint, and the Cyrillic letters spelling out the name of this infamous football stadium in Kiev are in danger of toppling over.

The Ukrainian capital is dotted with world-class venues, including the 60,000-seat Olympic Stadium which is hosting the Euro 2012 final tomorrow. But three metro stops from there, and a short walk through a down-at-heel working-class neighbourhood, lies the Start Stadium, where 70 years ago the infamous Death Match took place - a game played in the middle of the Second World War that sparked a controversy which continues to this day.

A stained plaque is pinned to the wall commemorating it, engraved with the words: 'For our beautiful presence, they fell in a fight, for ages your glory won't fade, the fearless hero athletes'. A statue - showing a player with a ball at his feet, striking down a Nazi eagle - overlooks the scruffy pitch, which is surrounded by a concrete running track.

On broken wooden benches, people of all ages sit in the summer evening, enjoying the weather. Many are sipping beer or eating ice cream. Joggers, dads playing football with their kids, teenagers larking about, roller skaters, lovers and elderly onlookers all gather at this historic site.

'Of course, we know about what happened here, the game between the Ukrainian players and the Germans,' said Foyodor, who was walking around the track with his wife, Mary. 'But I don't think the young know, or care,' he said, nodding towards a group of teenagers swigging from beer cans.

The Death Match is seared into the memories of most Ukrainians over the age of 30, and another monument celebrating the players is outside Dynamo Kiev's ground.