The Argentine wilted under the cold stare of Maico Casella when PR Sreejesh looked into his eyes from the eye-grill of his goalkeeper’s helmet and got ready to take the challenge.
But really, did that happen? Did Indian stare because a great injustice was happening to him in sports; or was it just another episode of war minus shooting Orwellian concept? Maybe Sreejesh never even stared, as Casella shriveled.
May be it was only that the mind’s eye defected for a random funny trip excusing itself from India-Argentina hockey match addiction. This is because at that instant, in one single dash forward, there comes up a flashback montage of childhood experiences in 1980s time where a small kid with wide opened eyes and agape mouth was believing anything thrown by the giant flickering screen that day. Even now he believes this forty years hence.
He stares straight into the eyes of the German captain who used to be called Nazi before preparing to take an unfairly awarded penalty kick at arguably the greatest-ever imagined football game where all injustices meted out by war, life and rigged referees were directed towards Capt. Bob Hatch – Sylvester Stallone for those coming late – of Allieds team.
There, Baumann (played by US footballer, Werner Roth) takes a weak penalty which Hatch saves while here it is Sreejesh who tricks Casella into pushing wide. The end justifies justice that says there are no winners in war. Just then Colombia stadium – an Indian hockey team trailing Argentina by goal under scorching sun playing at Paris Games – would be hosting this mythical soccer match from “Escape to Victory” (1981), John Houston’s original sports movie starring Michael Caine, Max von Sydow and Pele.
It had been built back in 1907 as Yvesdu-Manoir named after exceptional French rugby player; the northwestern Paris suburban municipality’s facility is hosting its second Olympics Games only 100 years apart.
It is being used as a hockey stadium today. In 1924 it was the main site for the Paris games that held opening and closing ceremonies as well as athletics events. Initially, this place accommodated the first-ever Olympic village (66 wooden barracks) in close proximity to it. Actually, this is where another famous sports film occurs. There are four Oscars won by Chariots of Fire (1981) with British runners Harold Abrahams, a Jew who is also a very religious Scottish Chrisitan; Eric Liddell.
The last opera finale comes at the Yves-du-Manoir 100meters which Abrahams wins after Liddell pulls out when the 100m heats falls on a Sunday, Lord’s day.
If this is true, it means that in between these two Olympic games, the Yves-du-Manoir also hosted one of the greatest fiction football matches ever played according to Wikipedia as quoted by a reviewer. In “Escape to…,” Paris was chosen to host the match because of its proximity and neutralness although from a slight hinting of Allied Prisoners of War who wanted an opportunity to flee during the match through propaganda.
By its name alone, you can understand why Colombes might make for an interesting setting for a World War II movie climax. The stadium complex has some buildings from 1940s with their own tiled roofs, forecourts and chimneys among the towers of housing estates built around it today. As one approaches the arena’s entrance, an old stone building dating back to 1940s contrasts sharply with present-day fixtures and scaffolding.
“This is one of the original suburbs of Paris”, says Catherine Simonnet, originally from Essex but living in France for 25 years now. “It was promising once but now here nor there – kind of lost in time”, she explains pointing out social housing she claims appeared only over past decade or so. Originally, most people living outside inner city were native French who had been displaced by post war expansion. Today there are quite a number of African and south-Asian immigrants in this region; evidence that there is a significant Indian presence at hockey contests.
Colombes is administrated by Hauts de Seine department which currently prioritizes rugby and recently won France’s bid for hosting Paris Olympics’ field hockey events seemingly rising from obscurity. Any queries will be answered by Hauts de Seine press office provided they are made in French on weekdays only. An email seeking more information about history sent to their offices is waiting for reply.
In addition, Simonnet whose child plays hockey says exultantly that after the comeback this would be used as a base for the development of the sport and that it will be the headquarters of French federation.
Colombes is home to Racing CFF football club, which occupies a special place in French football. It was France’s chief football arena during both interwar years until the opening of Parc de Princes back in 1972. Today Parc De Princes situated close to Roland Garros Tennis stadium serves as PSG (Paris Saint Germain) home with Stade de France seating 80000 in Saint-Denis Paris’ north suburb now occupying its place.
As buildings and monuments pass away with time, Colombes has had a different life. In this Olympic year, it is stillborn and born again at once.
