Estadio Omnilife

Omnilife Stadium, formerly known as Chivas Stadium (Estadio Chivas, Spanish pronunciation: [esˈtaðjo ˈtʃiβas]), is the 4th largest stadium in Mexico. It is built in the JVC complex, a multi-use venue that is used mostly for football matches including home matches for Club Deportivo Guadalajara, commonly known as the "Chivas" The stadium has a seating capacity of 49,850. Construction started in February 2004, but due to financial problems and other issues, the stadium's completion was delayed for a number of years. The stadium hosted its first major international event with the first leg of the 2010 Finals of the Copa Libertadores, and hosted the 2011 Pan American Games opening and closing ceremonies. The stadium's artificial field has caused great controversy, drawing criticism from many notable players.

History

The first public football match at the stadium was a friendly between Guadalajara and Manchester United on 30 July 2010. Guadalajara won the game 3–2, with the first goal at the stadium scored by Javier "Chicharito" Hernández playing for Guadalajara.^[2] Hernández played the entire first half for Guadalajara and switched sides to Manchester United in the second half, symbolically sealing his transfer contract signed in March 2010.^[3] The first official match was the first game of the final of the Copa Libertadores, a game where Inter de Porto Alegre won 2–1.

References

External links

• Official Site of Estadio Chivas