when BBC Sport visited five days prior.<\/a><\/p>\nThe 11,800-capacity stadium was nearly full for the Group B match between Italy and Olympic debutants France, won 4-1 by the host nation.<\/p>\n
On the Saturday before the fixture, we found a frantic construction site, with building materials and dust inside and outside the stadium.<\/p>\n
Rubbish littered the floor, lifts and toilets were covered in plastic wraps and many areas of the arena, including hospitality boxes as well as food and drink stalls, were unfinished.<\/p>\n
Christophe Dubi, the International Olympic Committee’s executive director for the Olympic Games, admitted on Sunday: “Do we have every single space in that venue finished? No. And is everything in that venue needed [for the matches to take place]? No.”<\/p>\n
Returning on the morning of the first game – about three hours before face-off – we found the piles of rubble and building materials gone from the concourses inside and out.<\/p>\n
Not all the amenities were quite ready, with merchandise stalls being built and posters still to be put up. This is just over three hours before the opening match.<\/p>\n
Inside the arena, one side of the stadium was simply a big black wall. This houses temporary stands on top of what will eventually be a stage for concerts, and was supposed to feature large boards with Olympic branding.<\/p>\n
In the stands, it was very dusty and dirty. The arena had the feel of a new build, finished in a hurry without much spit and polish.<\/p>\n
And around the stadium, it is an actual building site. The arena stands virtually alone in wasteland, 25 minutes’ walk from the nearest metro station and with no amenities, barring a car park, nearby. Bella Italia this is not.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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