| Tofiq Bahramov Stadium | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Tofiq Bəhramov adına Respublika Stadionu |
| Location | Baku, Azerbaijan |
| Built | 1939-1951 |
| Opened | September 16, 1951 |
| Owner | AFFA |
| Surface | Grass |
| Capacity | 29,850[1] |
| Field dimensions | 104 x 66 |
| Tenants | |
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FK Baku Azerbaijan national football team |
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Tofiq Bahramov Stadium (Azerbaijani: Tofiq Bəhramov adına Respublika Stadionu) is a multi-purpose stadium in Baku, Azerbaijan. It is currently used mostly for football matches. It serves as the home ground of FK Baku and the Azerbaijan national football team and holds 30,000, making it the largest stadium in the country.[2]
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The Tofiq Bahramov Stadium was built in 1951. Its construction started before the World War II in 1939, but was suspended. When its construction resumed, it was finished by the German prisoners of war. Initially the stadium was named after Joseph Stalin and built in form of C (Cyrillic: Cтaлин). After the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1956 (denunciation of Stalin) it was renamed after Vladimir Lenin. In 1993, the stadium was named after the famous football referee Tofik Bahramov who passed away that year.
In 2011, Presidential Reserve Fund of the State Budget of Azerbaijan for 2011 allocated 10 million USD for capital repairs and reconstruction of the stadium as it could be used as potenial venue for Eurovision Song Contest 2012.[3][4]According to the stadium's director Akif Ismayilov, stadium will be provided with new seats, locker rooms, lighting system as well as with football field for children.[5] Furthermore, the stadium will be supplied with heating system and roof will be constructed which means the stadium will lose its “C” form.[5]
On 19 May 2011, organizers of the contest announced that they may use the stadium which contains 37,000 seats instead of a special concert complex with 20,000 seats which is to be purposefully built near National Flag Square in Baku.