North Koreans to relive World Cup game of their lives
The seven surviving members of the North Korean team that defeated Italy in the World Cup in Britain in 1966 will next month return for the first time to the scene of their triumph - and will find the spot marked by bronze balls and bronze studs in a housing estate.
In the biggest upset in World Cup history, North Korea beat Italy 1-0 at the Ayresome Park stadium in Middlesbrough, northeast England, that has since been demolished to make way for private homes.
But the fans remember the ground and the victory with such fondness that steel tacks in the gardens of the homes mark the lines where the pitch used to be, with a bronze ball in a garden where the centre spot was, a bronze boot for each penalty spot and a bronze stud where Pak Do-ik, the North Korean player, scored the winning goal.
The visit is being arranged by Dan Gordon and Nick Bonner, two Britons who made an award-winning film, The Game of their Lives , about the seven surviving members of the team and their recollection of the event. They obtained permission last Thursday from the North Korean foreign ministry for the delegation to go to England.
'The Middlesbrough fans are mad for this,' said Gordon, a film director and Sheffield Wednesday fan. 'They adopted the team and this is like bringing their lads home. 28,000 people saw the game with Italy but, if you ask people in Middlesbrough, it was as if 120,000 were there.
'The city council and football club will give receptions for the North Koreans, who will come on the pitch before the start of the team's game against Leeds United on October 26.'
The North Koreans will stay, free of charge, at the same St George's Hotel where they stayed during the 1966 tournament. They have also been invited by the Football Association to attend the England-Macedonia game and by Everton to attend their game with Arsenal at the same stadium where they played their final game in 1966, losing 5-3 to Portugal.
The 17-member delegation will leave Pyongyang on October 12 and be in England from October 15-28. It includes the seven surviving members of the team and the trainer, four people who will be tasked with filming the visit, two members of the national women's football team that won the Asian Cup in February and soccer officials.
The biggest headache for Gordon and Bonner is money. They are US$50,000 short of the amount they need to pay for the trip.
The two are seeking sponsors to cover the outstanding costs. 'The way things stand, we will have to invite the delegation to my house in Sheffield to eat spaghetti,' said Gordon.
