The giant Shah Alam Stadium in Malaysia – which has hosted Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur – has been demolished in spectacular fashion.
The stadium held a capacity of 80,372 people and was one of the most famous in the region but was found to be structurally unsafe in 2020.
A new state-of-the-art sports complex will be built on the site with a reduced capacity of between 35,000 and 45,000 people.
Since its opening in 1994, the venue was the home of Malaysian football team Selangor and regularly hosted the national side and live music shows, including Bon Jovi in 1995.
In the first event held at the stadium, on July 19, 1994, Dundee United drew 1-1 with a Selangor XI in an invitational tournament which also included Bayern Munich, Leeds United, Flamengo and the Australian Olympic football team.
Former Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar played for the Malaysian side on the day, but could not prevent the Scottish team’s Billy McKinlay from becoming the first player to score at the ground.
The venue staged live music shows including by bands Maroon 5, Deep Purple and Bon Jovi – the stadium playing host to the latter’s debut in Malaysia.
The new stadium will include a retractable pitch, indoor humidity control and an ‘event mode’ to host live music.
The dismantling of the previous stadium is set to be finished next year, with the new ground expected to be completed by 2029.