Castelao Stadium

The Estadio Governador Placido Castelo, also known as the Castelao (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, Ceara, Brazil, with a maximum capacity of 63,903 spectators. The stadium is owned by the Ceara state Government, and is the home ground of Ceara Sporting Club and Fortaleza Esporte Clube. Its formal name honors Placido Aderaldo Castelo, who served as the Governor of Ceara from September 12, 1966 to March 15, 1971, and was a leader in getting the stadium built.

History

Castelao was constructed from 1969 to 1973 and was inaugurated on November 11 of that year.

In May 2000, the Ceara 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.

The inaugural match was played on November 11, 1973, when Ceara and Fortaleza drew 0-0. The stadium's first goal was scored on November 18, 1973 by Ceara's Erandy, when Ceara beat Vitoria 1-0.

The re-inaugural match was played on March 23, 2002, when the Brazil national team beat the Yugoslavia national team 1-0. The stadium's first goal after the re-inauguration was scored by Brazil's Luizao. 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.

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.

This page also has a version in other languages :  Кастелан Стадион (russian)