The traffic around St James’ Park football stadium has been blocked off for an Olympic football match between one of the Koreas and Mexico.  Or more broadly speaking, quiet and loud fans.  I was returning to my office and, before I reached the system of new gates and bollards that completely block access to the de facto pedestrianised roads around the stadium and surrounding the Newcastle University Business School, I passed though long throngs of fans.  They were singing and bellowing ME XI COOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I admit to crossing to the opposite pavement because I did not know how to join in with their fun, but that way I could photograph them as well.

Later St James will also host a game between Switzerland and Gabon and I wonder which of those two teams will have the loudest supporters.  Will the Swizz bring along vuvuzelas and pretend they are simply straightened alphorns?

The level of control that the Olympics exert over its environment is simply astonishing.  In addition to the gates and the hundreds of anti-terrorist bollards and the official program sellers and the stripping of branding off everything – up to and including blacking out the name of the bank on the ATM that lives in the wall of the stadium.  Now all that one can see is a slot and a screen and the words FREE CASH WITHDRAWALS.

Local workmen built the gates, as far as I could tell.  The security guys seem like local bouncers and the drafted in staff that are parading in their lilac and pink London 2012 outfits also sound local.  I would love to know how much money flows in through this and then, how much is siphoned straight out again.  I do know that it is not just a one way process.