Estádio do Maracanã

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Maracanã
Image:Maracana Stadium.jpg
Full name	Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho
Nickname	Maraca
Built	1950
Opened	16 June 1950
Capacity	103,022 (77,720 seated) (reducing to 95,000 in 2007)
Home of	Botafogo Flamengo Fluminense
Pitch size	110 x 75 m

The Estádio do Maracanã, "Maracanã stadium", (official name: Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho), in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is one of the largest football stadiums in the world. Maracanã is the name of its neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro. It is home to three of the four biggest football clubs in Rio: Flamengo, Botafogo and Fluminense.

The stadium, built for the 1950 FIFA World Cup, originally had a capacity of 200,000. However, its capacity was greatly reduced when it was converted to an all-seater in the 1990s; it can currently hold around 77,720 seated and 103,022 with standing room. It is now undergoing renovations that will increase its all-seated capacity to around 100,000.

The 1950 deciding match between Brazil and Uruguay was hosted at the Maracanã stadium. Brazil only needed a draw to win, but lost the match 2-1 after being up 1-0 ; this match has since been known as the "Maracanaço" (or in Spanish, "Maracanazo").

On January 22, 2006, after nine months closed for reformation, the stadium was reopened. In the inaugural match, Botafogo beat Vasco da Gama 5-3.

The Campeonato Carioca finals usually are played at Maracanã stadium. Also, the stadium hosted the 1950 World Cup Final between Brazil and Uruguay, the 1951 Copa Rio final between Palmeiras (Brazil) and Juventus (Italy) and the 2000 FIFA Club World Championship final between Vasco da Gama and Corinthians.

It is particularly famous for holding the fabled Fla-Flu, the classic showdown between Flamengo and Fluminense, widely regarded as one of the most spectacular sporting events in the world.

Former Flamengo midfielder Zico is the stadium top scorer: 333 goals in 435 matches.

[edit] Other stadium data

First game: Rio de Janeiro All-Stars 1x3 São Paulo All-Stars (16 June, 1950)
First goal scored by: Didi (Rio de Janeiro All-Stars)

[edit] Trivia

The stadium holds the record for the highest officially recorded attendance for a football match, when 199,854 fans were recorded for the deciding game of the 1950 World Cup final, between hosts Brazil and Uruguay, though some unofficial estimates say there was 10,000 more crammed in to the stadium (who presumably sneaked in without paying at the gate).
The name Maracanã refers to a species of parrot which is found in the North of Brazil.
The stadium was officially named Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho after journalist Mário Filho, who supported the stadium's construction. He was the brother of another famous Brazilian journalist and writer, Nélson Rodrigues.
Maracanã is the stadium in which Pelé scored his 1,000th goal, in the match Vasco da Gama 1-2 Santos. It was also the stadium where he made his debut with the Brazilian National Team, against Argentina, in 1957, and where, in front of 138,575 spectators, he played his last game with the National Team, against Yugoslavia, in 1971. Till today, Pelé has scored more goals for Brazil at the Maracanã than any other player, his record standing at 30 goals in 22 games.
The stadium was also where Tina Turner in her 1988 "Break Every Rule" show, set a world-record by drawing a crowd of 182,000 to the stadium for a single-night Rock & Roll show by a single performer.
The popular mexican group RBD became the first Mexican entertainment to sell 70,000+ seats in the statium. A DVD will be released of this concert in 2007.