| Machadão | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Estádio Dr. João Cláudio Vasconcelos Machado |
| Location | Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil |
| Opened | 1972 |
| Renovated | 2007 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Capacity | 35,000 |
| Tenants | |
| Natal City Hall | |
Estádio Dr. João Cláudio Vasconcelos Machado, usually known as Machadão, is a multi-purpose stadium in the Brazilian city of Natal, Rio Grande do Norte. It is currently used mostly for football matches.
Estádio Machadão is owned by the Natal City Hall. The stadium is named after João Cláudio Vasconcelos Machado, who was president of the Rio Grande do Norte Football Federation and sports broadcaster.
Estádio Machadão (along with the Ginasio do Machadindo) is forecasted to be demolished by the end of 2010 to make room for the construction of the Arena das Dunas for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
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The stadium initially had a maximum capacity of 52,000 people. However, its capacity was reduced to 28,000 for security reasons and currently the capacity of the stadium was elevated to 35,000 because it was reformed in the start of 2007 and reinaugurated in May 2007.[1]
In 1972, the works on Machadão were completed. The inaugural match was played on July 4 of that year, when ABC beat América de Natal 1-0. The first goal of the stadium was scored by ABC's Willian.
The stadium's attendance record currently stands at 53,320, set on November 29, 1972 when Santos beat ABC 2-0.
In 2007, the stadium was reformed. The reinaugural match was played on May 13 of that year, when Vasco beat América de Natal 1-0. The first goal of the stadium after the reinauguration was scored by Vasco's player André Dias.[2][3]