Estadio Moises Lucarelli

The Estadio Moises Lucarelli Portuguese pronunciation: [isˈtadʒju mojˈzɛjs lukaˈɾɛli], also known as Estadio Majestoso, or just Majestoso, is a football stadium inaugurated on September 12, 1948 in Campinas, Sao Paulo, with a maximum capacity of 19,728 spectators. The stadium is owned by Associacao Atletica Ponte Preta. The stadium has a pitch size of 107m x 70m and its area stands at 36,000 m2. Its formal name honors Moyses Lucarelli, the co-ordinator of the stadium construction works commission. Its nickname, Estadio Majestoso, means Majestic Stadium, because it was the third largest stadium in Brazil at the time of its inauguration.

History

The stadium was inaugurated on September 12, 1948. The stadium was built with the financial and laboral help of hundreds of Ponte Preta supporters. The "Majestoso" is named after Moyses Lucarelli, the head figure in its idealization construction. Not only he was the main financial collaborator, buying the terrain and helping in the arrecadation of raw material, Lucarelli is said to have lost 40% of his vision and also to have developed corneal ulcer during the construction, in consequence of the long hours under the hot sun every day. He originally did not want to be honored, but the club insisted and, taking advantage of a trip Moyses took to Argentina, the stadium was named "behind hid back". That's the most probable reason why his name was spelled differently on the stadium's entrance and official registers.

The inaugural match was played on September 12, 1948, when XV de Piracicaba beat Ponte Preta 3–0, in a game where Ponte missed two penalties. The first goal of the stadium was scored by XV de Piracicaba's Sato.

The stadium's official attendance record currently stands at 34,985, set on February 1, 1978 when Sao Paulo beat Ponte Preta 3–1. It is popularly said that the actual biggest crowd the stadium ever had was on August 16, 1970, when Ponte faced the recently World Cup champion Pele and his Santos. While the official attendance stood a