Estadio Azteca
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Aztec Stadium | |
|---|---|
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| Location | Mexico City |
| Broke ground | 1961 |
| Opened | May 29, 1966 |
| Renovated | 1985 |
| Owner | Televisa |
| Operator | Club América |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction cost | 260 million Mexican Peso |
| Architect | Pedro Ramírez Vázquez Rafael Mijares Alcérreca |
| Tenants | Club América |
| Capacity | 114,465[1] |
| Field dimensions | 105 x 68 m |
Aztec Stadium (Spanish: Estadio Azteca) is a stadium in Mexico City, Mexico used primarily for football events. It is the official home stadium of the Mexico national football team and the Mexican team Club América; and the former home ground of CF Atlante, Cruz Azul, and Necaxa.
Aztec Stadium was the primary events for football (soccer) events during the 1968 Summer Olympics and is the only stadium ever to host two FIFA World Cup final matches, in 1970 and 1986. It also hosted the 1986 quarter-final between Argentina and England in which Diego Maradona scored both the "Hand of God goal" and the "Goal of the Century". The stadium also hosted the "Game of the Century", when Italy defeated Germany with scores of 4-3 in extra time.
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[edit] History
The opening game was between Club América and Torino F.C. on May 26, 1966, with seats for 107,494 spectators. The first goal was scored was by Brazilian Arlindo Dos Santos Cruz and the second one by Brazilian José Alves "Zague", later the Italians tied the game and ended 2-2. Gustavo Diaz Ordaz President of Mexico made the initial kick and Sir Stanley Rous FIFA President was the witness.
A modern illumination system was inaugurated on June 5, 1966 with the first night game between Valencia C.F. and Necaxa. The first goal of the game was scored by Honduran José Cardona. In this game Roberto Martínez o Caña Brava scored the first goal made by a Mexican. The final score was 3-1 in favor of Valencia C.F..
There is a Commemorative plaque with the names of the first goal scorer in the first daylight match and in the first night game.
Aztec Stadium is also the site in which Pelé, and Diego Maradona (during the 1970 and 1986 FIFA World Cup), considered by many as the best football players of all time, lifted the trophy for the last time (The Jules Rimet Trophy and the current FIFA World Cup Trophy, respectively).
The stadium has also hosted international club tournaments such at the Copa InterAmericana and the Copa Libertadores de América.
Aztec Stadium has also been used for musical performances throughout its history. Michael Jackson (in 1993)[2], U2 (in 2006), , Elton John, Maná, Juan Gabriel,Luis Miguel, Gloria Estefan, Jaguares, Lenny Kravitz, Ana Gabriel, The Three Tenors all have become part of the stadium's main spectacle. The stadium has also been used for political events, including Mexican president Felipe Calderón's campaign closure in 2006, as well as religious events, like the appearance of Pope John Paul II in 1999. [3]
[edit] Notable events
Aztec Stadium has hosted to a variety of international sporting competitions, including:
- 1968 Summer Olympics
- 1970 FIFA World Cup
- 1975 Pan American Games
- 1983 FIFA World Youth Championship
- 1986 FIFA World Cup
- 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup
- 2005 American Bowl
[edit] Access and entrance
It is served by the Azteca station on the Xochimilco Light Rail line. This line is an extension of the Mexico City metro system which begins at Metro Tasqueña station.
Tickets are available, up to kick-off times, from the ticket office which is located at the front of the stadium, just down the exit ramps from the Azteca station. Tickets start from as little as 50 pesos (5 U.S. Dollars as of 2007). For bigger matches such as Club América's games against Chivas de Guadalajara, Cruz Azul and UNAM Pumas where sellouts are common, numerous touts circulate offering tickets at competitive prices.
[edit] Name and origin
The stadium is owned by Mexican TV consortium Televisa. In order to avoid people associating the stadium's name with that of its competition TV Azteca, Televisa officially changed the stadium's name to "Guillermo Cañedo", a top executive and long-time football advocate at Televisa. The change took place in early 1997, following Cañedo's death (January 20, 1997)[4]. However the change did not go well with the general population, who generally refused to refer to the stadium by its alleged new name. Following a schism where two of Cañedo's sons, who worked at Televisa, switched camps and went to TV Azteca,[5] Televisa quietly returned the stadium's name to its original version. Some people did not even notice, as they usually referred to the stadium as "Azteca" (a tribute name to the Aztec heritage of Mexico City); during the name change.
The stadium has been given the nickname of "Coloso de Santa Ursula" which, in English, means "Colossus of Santa Ursula", due to its large structure. Santa Ursula refers to the part of town where the stadium resides in Mexico City.
[edit] Monuments and Memorials
A bronze plaque of Maradona's "goal of the century" was placed outside the stadium. In addition, a monument memorializes the "Game of the Century."
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Worldstadiums.com Azteca stadium capacity
- ^ Cronología Estadio Azteca. Retrieved on 2007-09-13.
- ^ Pide Juan Pablo II "superar" deficiencias en el progreso social. Retrieved on 2007-10-12.
- ^ Mexican businessman Guillermo Cañedo died yesterday. Retrieved on 2007-09-13.
- ^ Martínez, César. Cañedo Whites go to TV Azteca. Retrieved on 2007-09-13.
[edit] Further reading
- "Magical memories live on in the vaunted Azteca" - fifaworldcup.com - FIFA
[edit] External links
- Official Site of the Estadio Azteca
- Satellite view of Estadio Azteca - at WikiMapia = Google maps + Wiki
| Preceded by Wembley Stadium London |
FIFA World Cup Final Venue 1970 |
Succeeded by Olympiastadion Munich |
| Preceded by Santiago Bernabéu Madrid |
FIFA World Cup Final Venue 1986 |
Succeeded by Stadio Olimpico Rome |
| Preceded by King Fahd II Stadium Riyadh |
FIFA Confederations Cup Final Venue 1999 |
Succeeded by International Stadium Yokohama Yokohama |
| Preceded by Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles |
CONCACAF Gold Cup Final Venue 1993 |
Succeeded by Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles |
| Preceded by Rose Bowl Pasadena |
CONCACAF Gold Cup Final Venue 2003 |
Succeeded by Giants Stadium East Rutherford |
| Preceded by first venue |
National Football League Host stadium of international regular season game San Francisco 49ers v. Arizona Cardinals 2 October, 2005 |
Succeeded by Wembley Stadium, London, England New York Giants v. Miami Dolphins 28 October, 2007 |
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