Football stadium in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
Not to be confused with Castelão (Maranhão)
Estádio Governador Plácido Castelo, also known as the Castelão 😊 (Portuguese pronunciation: [kasteˈlɐ̃w], Portuguese for "Big Castle") or Gigante da Boa Vista, is a football stadium that was inaugurated on 😊 November 11, 1973 in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil, with a maximum capacity of 63,903 spectators.
The stadium is owned by the Ceará 😊 state Government, and is the home ground of Ceará Sporting Club and Fortaleza Esporte Clube.
Its formal name honors Plácido Aderaldo 😊 Castelo (1906–1979), who served as the Governor of Ceará from September 12, 1966 to March 15, 1971, and was a 😊 leader in getting the stadium built.[2]History [ edit ]
Castelão was constructed from 1969 to 1973 and was inaugurated on November 😊 11 of that year.
In May 2000, the Ceará state government started to renovate the stadium.
The renovations were divided in three 😊 stages, and started on May 16, 2001.
The first stage consisted in the recovery of the ditches, and of the bleachers 😊 junctions, as well as the recovery of the low walls.
The second stage of the reformation started on July 20, 2001, 😊 and consisted in the recovery and strengthening of the stadium's physical structure.
The third stage consisted in the recovery of the 😊 electrical, hydraulic, sanitary, and electronic installations.[2]
Arena Castelão in 2013
The inaugural match was played on November 11, 1973, when Ceará and 😊 Fortaleza drew 0-0.
The stadium's first goal was scored on November 18, 1973 by Ceará's Erandy, when Ceará beat Vitória 1-0.[3]
The 😊 re-inaugural match was played on March 23, 2002, when the Brazil national team beat the Yugoslavia national team 1-0.
[2] The 😊 stadium's first goal after the re-inauguration was scored by Brazil's Luizão.
[2] The stadium's attendance record currently stands at 118,496, set 😊 on August 27, 1980, when the Brazil national team beat the Uruguay national team 1-0.[3]
The stadium was reopened on December 😊 16, 2012, in a ceremony attended by former president Dilma Rousseff and Mayor of Ceara, Cid Gomes.
There was also a 😊 concert from Raimundo Fagner.
2013 FIFA Confederations Cup [ edit ]
Estadio Castelão hosted 3 games of the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup: 😊 two group games and one of the semi-finals.
2014 FIFA World Cup [ edit ]
Castelão was one of the venues of 😊 the 2014 FIFA World Cup, which took place in Brazil.
The stadium was redeveloped for the tournament; the reconstruction project, led 😊 by Uruguayan architect Héctor Vigliecca, involved the addition of a larger roof, the construction of an underground car park with 😊 4,200 spaces, and a new lower tier.
After the redevelopment, the stadium now has an all-seater capacity of 63,903.
[4] The stadium 😊 closed on March 31, 2011 for the reconstruction project, which was officially completed in December 2012.
[5] Castelão was the first 😊 of 12 stadiums being built or redeveloped for the 2014 World Cup to be completed.[5]
Other events [ edit ]
On July 😊 9, 1980, the 10th National Eucharistic Congress was opened in Fortaleza.
Pope John Paul II participated in the celebrations of the 😊 Congress and the Estádio Castelão received the largest public of its history: 120,000 people.
On this occasion, during Virgílio Távora's government, 😊 the stadium was renovated, and the bleachers of the lower section were finished.
Another religious celebration happened on August 13, 1995.
On 😊 this occasion, the farewell mass of the archbishop of Fortaleza Dom Aloísio Lorscheider gathered 50 thousand people.
Several artistic shows were 😊 made at the stadium.
On December 9, 2007, Castelão hosted the MotoCross Freestyle World Championship .
More than 700 tons of sand 😊 and metal ramps, almost 6 meters long and 2.
7 meters high were used in the event.
Concerts [ edit ]Castelão in 😊 2009Gallery [ edit ]Castelão Stadium
