Maracanã Stadium: history, numbers and curiosities

Brazil is considered the country of football, and it's not just because of Brazilians' passion for the sport. In addition to being the country with the most world Cups and having the best players in history, both in men's and women's football (Skin and Marta), Brazil has one of the most famous stadiums in the world: O Maracanã.

Founded in 1950, Maracanã has already received audiences of more than 200,000 people and was the stage for large football matches, musical shows and other events. The most important stadium in Brazilian football carries part of the history of the Rio de Janeiro and it is also one of the main tourist attractions in the city.

Know more: The history of football, which emerged as a post-war English commemoration

History

The history of the Maracanã Stadium can be told from 1938, when the president of the International Football Federation (Fifa), Jules Rimet, visited Rio de Janeiro and accepted the Brazilian candidacy to host the 1950 World Cup. Like host of the fourth world soccer championship, the first after the end of World War II, Brazil needed a big stadium.

On August 2, 1948, the foundation stone was laid and construction began on the stadium that would become the largest in the world. The work took nearly two years to complete and it is estimated that the cost was Cr$250 million (cruises).

Maracanã Stadium after the last renovation and with capacity for 78 thousand people. [1]

The stadium was built in a region of the city of Rio de Janeiro known as Tijuca, beside the Maracana River. At the time, the Maracanã neighborhood did not exist, which was only created in 1981.

Before imagining that the land would receive the construction of a stadium, the space was seat of the practice of another type of sport: the turf. The land was acquired in 1885 by the Derby Club for horse racing, but soon the sport lost strength and the land was abandoned and turned into a warehouse for Army cars.

• Construction

The idea of ​​building the new stadium on the land of the former Derby Club came from the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, at the time, Mendes de Moraes. The choice was contested by then councilor Carlos Lacerda (future federal deputy and governor of the former state of Guanabara), who wanted the construction in Jacarepaguá.

At the time, the Sports Newspaper, led by the journalist Mario Son, published several contents to support the construction of the stadium in Tijuca. The newspaper also carried out a popular survey, which resulted in a preference for the same region.

Also access:2010 World Cup – South Africa

Work began in 1948. The stadium's architecture showed an oval structure with an impressive capacity to hold around 200,000 people. The stadium was 32 meters high, and its axes were 317 meters and 279 meters.

In day June 16, 1950, the stadium opened carrying the nomenclature of Estádio Mendes de Moraes or Estádio Municipal do Derby. The first match took place the following day between the Rio de Janeiro team and the São Paulo team, being the first goal of the stadium marked by midfielder didi, for the Cariocas, but the São Paulo team turned the game around, which ended 3-1 for the visitors.

Maracanã Stadium in game held in 1950. [2]

the stadium was opened incomplete, with some parts of the structure unfinished. During the World Cup matches, there were still scaffolding and piles of bricks, for example, which offered little safety and hardly any comfort, but that didn't stop the event from happening.

• World Cup of 1950

Brazil was the favorite to lift the cup of world football champion. A month after the inauguration of the largest stadium in the world, on July 16, Maracanã lived one of the days that would no longer be forgotten in its history. THE final between Brazil and Uruguay made the 199,854 fans present to be silent. The biggest audience at the stadium to date was silent when they saw Brazil be defeated by the visitors 2-1. The episode became known as Maracanazo. In Spanish, the suffix “azo” is used to mean something grand.

See too: Fun facts from football history

• Change of Name

Even with the Brazilian team suffering the defeat to Uruguay in the 1950 World Cup, time passed, important games were being held at Maracanã and great names in soccer like Garrincha, Pelé, Zico and Romário, but an important name in the stadium's history has never ceased to be remembered: that of Mário Filho.

The sports journalist was considered one of the most influential in the country and fought hard to support the idea of ​​building the Maracanã in the place where the former Derby used to be. He loved the stadium for bringing all walks of life together for the enjoyment of football. Therefore, after his death and in his honor, Maracanã received the official name of Journalist Mario Filho Stadium.

Mário died in 1966, aged 58, victim of a heart attack. His brother, the well-known chronicler Nelson Rodrigues, honored him with the epithet “the creator of crowds”, for the influence he had on the popularization of football in the country.

The official name of Maracanã is Estádio Mário Filho. [3]

Origin of the name Maracanã

The stadium is popularly called Maracanã because it was built beside the homonymous river. In 1981, the Maracanã River also gave its name to the neighborhood where the stadium is located. In Brazil, it is common among fans to “baptize” a stadium with the same name as the neighborhood or region where he finds himself. For example, Morumbi and Pacaembu are not the official names of the stadiums in São Paulo either.

Maracanã-Guaçu bird, species that
inhabited the stadium area. [4]

The word Maracanã comes from Tupi maraka’na and means “rattle-like”. The Maracanã River region was inhabited by several species of birds, such as the parrot. Maracanã-Guaçu, which made a noise like a rattle. Currently, the river is polluted and parrots are no longer seen in the region.

Maracanã Tragedy

Over the decades, Maracanã suffered with the wear of time, lack of maintenance and even vandalism. In the 1980s, the stadium began to show cracks in the columns, infiltration, a lawn with drainage problems and other various signs that left it with an aspect of abandonment.

Small maintenance works were carried out, but they were not enough to avoid the biggest tragedy of Maracanã. In day July 19, 1992, at the end of the Brazilian championship in between Flamengo and Botafogo, a part of the protection grid of the stands gave way, leaving three dead and 82 wounded.

About 150,000 people were present at the stadium, and 13 meters of the grid were breached. The fans in the stands fell, from a height of approximately eight meters, onto the chairs, which were also full.

After the disaster, Maracanã was closed for seven months. The stadium reopened with new seats and some reflectors for testing, but nothing that would solve the problems definitively. Therefore, in the following years, several reforms took place in it.

Renovations

• World Cup qualifiers 1994

In order to have the capacity to host the match between Brazil and Uruguay in the 1994 World Cup qualifiers, FIFA demanded that the stadium undergo yet another structural reform. To meet the requirements, the stadium administration took quick solutions in order to try make it safer for fans.

• World of clubs

Far from acceptable levels of conservation, Maracanã needed to undergo a good renovation to host the World Club Championship in 2000. For reasons of safety and comfort, the works reduced stadium capacity, which made it no longer the biggest in the world.

The stadium won a hall of fame, with trademarks of the great players who passed through its lawns; new press booths were installed; the structures of the ramps and the stadium marquee were recovered; and there was the creation of cabins and expansion of the seating sector, which reduced the stadium's public capacity. The reform left him more confortable and had a cost of approximately R$106 million.

• Pan American of 2007

In that year, the second major reform that Maracanã underwent, which left historic marks. In 2005, the generals were demolished it's the stadium received numbered seats, becoming a single sector, with 45 thousand seats.

Maracanã in 2007, after installing the chairs. [5]

O lawn was also lowered to give more breadth to the fans' vision. New access ramps were created, in addition to more parking spaces. The electronic scoreboard with animations was also removed. It had been installed in 1979 and was the third in Maracanã. The first, from 1950, was manual, and the second, from 1960, was digital. To Pan American, two screens were installed.

In addition, there was the reform of the Maracanãzinho Gym, which is part of the stadium complex and received a new floor, changing rooms and restrooms. It is estimated that the cost of this renovation was R$304 million.

• 2014 World Cup (new Maracanã)

Brazil was made official by FIFA as headquarters of 2014 World Cup, on October 30, 2007. With that, the main stadium in the country would have to undergo one more renovation. Among the options, it was even considered the implosion of the stadium to build a new structure, but it was decided to preserve the historical heritage and carry out a major renovation.

THE first phase The big renovation started in 2009, just to assess the structure and the capacity to put a roof over the stadium. After FIFA criticized the delay in starting the works, work began in March 2010. Even with the works, Maracanã was only closed in September.

Know more:World Cup – Qatar 2022 – host cities, stadiums and participants

With the works being carried out, the stadium was practically dismantled. The blue chairs and seats were removed, and part of the space, as well as the upper stands, was broken up. The lawn was also removed, and the existing marquees, columns and ramps began to be restored.

Already with the advanced works, in May 2011, it was detected that the marquee was deteriorated and its restoration would add an even greater cost to the renovation. Consequently, this would delay the delivery time, which was scheduled for December 2012.

During the construction period, other problems arose: there were employee strike for the salary adjustment and, in early March 2013, Rio de Janeiro faced a Strong rain which flooded the field and the roof, further delaying the delivery of the stadium.

Little by little, Maracanã built a new image, the stadium gained four new access ramps and the expected coverage, with the capacity to protect the entire space from the sun and rain. The seats are also closer to the side of the lawn and all seats have 100% field visibility. Chairs are retractable and divided by color. Luxury cabins were also installed.

Stadium received coverage and gained Arena format in 2014. [6]

With that, the old Maracanã gained arena shape, was divided into five levels it is us north, south, east and west sectors, to facilitate the location of the supporter. Areas were also reserved for people with special needs and a tactile floor was installed for the visually impaired. The stadium has become more modern, more comfortable and ultimately safer for the fans.

The new Maracanã was reopened, in day April 27, 2013, with the capacity for about 78 thousand fans and a renovation cost of approximately R$1.05 billion.

Redesigned to host the 2014 World Cup, Maracanã hosted seven World Cup matches and became the second stadium in the world to host two World Cup finals (1950 and 2014). The first was the Azteca Stadium in Mexico.

The 2014 final was held between the teams of Germany and Argentina, and the Germans won 1-0. For Brazilians, the 2014 World Cup was marked by defeat, by 7-1, to Germany in the semifinals, in a game played in another traditional Brazilian stadium, Mineirão, in Belo Horizonte. The 2014 vexation is compared to the Maracanazo.

Maracanã Complex

Maracanã Complex, with stadium, gym and water park. [7]

The Maracaná complex is formed, in addition to the stadium, by the Maracanãzinho Gym, which receives championships from basketball, volleyball etc., by the Julio Delamare Water Park and by Célio de Barros Athletics Stadium.

concert stage

In addition to the expressive soccer matches that Maracanã has hosted throughout its history, the stadium also became a stage for shows by recognized artists worldwide and even to religious ceremonies.

Tina Turner, Frank Sinatra, Madonna, Backstreet Boys, The Police, Rolling Stones, Kiss, among other artists, made history at Maracanã with audiences of over 100,000 people. Among the great international presentations, in 1990, Paul McCartney entered the Guinness Book (book of records) by the largest audience in solo performance, bringing together more than 180 thousand people in the Stadium.

Paul McCartney performed one of the most memorable shows in Maracanã. [8]

One of the biggest music festivals in the world also made history at Maracanã. O Rock in Rio, in its second edition, in 1991, took around 700 thousand people to the stadium to enjoy the nine days of the festival.

O Pope John Paul II it also brought together more than 100,000 people at Maracanã, during its passages through Brazil in 1980 and 1997, to hold outdoor masses.

main games

Many important games for Brazilian football were held at Maracanã. In addition to the 1950 and 2014 World Cups, the most famous stadium in Brazil hosted the football final in Olympic Games 2016, in which the Brazilian team was champion beating Germany on penalties. In 2019, Brazil also guaranteed the title of america cupbeating Peru, 3-1, in the same place.

Brazilian team wins 8th Copa América title, in 2019, at Maracanã. [9]

In 1971, the Atlético-MGwon Botafogo, 1-0, in the Brazilian Championship, and took the title of the first edition of the main national tournament playing at Maracanã. The first title of a carioca in the Brazilian Championship also came at the same stadium, in 1974, with the victory of Vasco upon cruise, for 2 to 1.

In 1976, the fans of Corinthians attended the game against the Fluminense that was worth a place in the final of the Brazilian Championship. The episode became known as the "Corinthian invasion". The game ended 1-1, and Corinthians won on penalties.

One of the most unusual finals of the Brazilian Championship was also held at Maracanã, in 1985. the team of Bangu decided the tournament with Coritiba at that stage. Paraná won on penalties.

In 2009, four teams had the chance to take the title of the Brasileirão in the running points tournament. In an exciting match, Flamengo, in turn, won the Guild, 2-1, in the crowded Maracanã stadium and was champion.

See too:Reformulation of the Fan Statute by Law 12,299

How to get to Maracanã

The days of games or events at Maracanã bring a large flow of people to the stadium, and, with that, there are several options for getting around. Nevertheless, the public transportation it is the most recommended for busy days. See the ways to get to the stadium:

• Subway

Line 1: Get off at the São Francisco Xavier station (access to gates C, D and E).

Line 2: Get off at Maracanã station (access to gates A, B and C) or São Cristóvão station (access to gates D, E and F).

• Train

In this means of transport, the Maracanã and São Cristóvão stations are interconnected with Line 2 of the subway.

• Bus

There are dozens of bus lines in Rio de Janeiro that take you to Maracanã and are integrated with Line 2 of the subway.

• Car

It is not advisable to go by car to Maracanã on game and event days, as some streets are closed and there is no parking for the general public. If it's just a visit, it's possible to take a chance on the main access routes: Avenida Maracanã, Radial Oeste, Rua Professor Eurico Rabelo, Rua Visconde de Itamarati and Rua Isidro de Figueiredo.

Tourism in Maracanã

Rio de Janeiro is the main tourist city in Brazil, and Maracanã Stadium is among its most visited attractions. Those who want to see the main stadium in the country up close can make one tour, get to know the lawn, the changing rooms, the press room, the reserve bank, etc., and check it out landmark objects from the history of the place that are on display. You tickets to tour can usually be purchased on the internet in advance and cost from BRL 27.50 The BRL 65.

Read too: Organized fans - in Brazil and worldwide

Curiosities about Maracanã

• first goal: was marked by Didi, on June 17, 1950, in a match between the teams of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

• Top scorer: Zico, Flamengo's idol, scored 333 goals in 435 games at Maracanã and is the top scorer at the stadium.

• Goal Thousand: in 1969, Pelé scored his thousandth goal, in a match against Vasco, by a penalty kick.

• Largest audience at stake: 199,854 fans watched the 1950 World Cup final between Brazil and Uruguay.

• Two Cup Finals: in 1950 and 2014. Maracanã was the second stadium in the world to host two World Cup finals.

Photo credit

[1]Shutterstock / A.PAES
[2]National Archives
[3]Zakarie Faibis
[4]Evelimlamaiara
[5]jcsalmon
[6]Shutterstock / dwarf
[7] Daniel Basil
[8]Shutterstock / Fabio Diena
[9]Shutterstock / A.RICARDO

By Giullya Franco
Journalist

Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/educacao-fisica/estadio-maracana.htm