El Cilindro (Spanish pronunciation: [el θiˈlindɾo]; English: The Cylinder), oficially named President Perón Stadium (Spanish: Estadio Presidente Perón; Spanish pronunciation: [esˈtaðjo pɾesiˈðente peˈɾon]), is an association football stadium in Avellaneda, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the home of Racing Club, one of Argentina's top football clubs.[3]
| Estadio Presidente Perón | |
El Cilindro | |
.svg){kind=small} | |
 Interior view of the stadium in 2023 | |
 | |
| Full name | Estadio Presidente Perón |
|---|---|
| Location | Mozart and Oreste Corbatta streets, Avellaneda, Argentina |
| Coordinates | 34°40′03.2″S 58°22′6.9″W / 34.667556°S 58.368583°W |
| Owner | Racing Club |
| Operator | Racing Club |
| Capacity | 50,880[1] |
| Record attendance | 120,000 (Racing 2–1 Celtic, 1967 Intercontinental Cup)[2] |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1949–50 |
| Opened | 3 September 1950 |
| Renovated | 1995–97 |
| Tenants | |
| Racing Club (1950–present) | |
| Website | |
| racingclub.com.ar/estadio | |
The stadium was opened in 1950, replacing the old Alsina and Colón Stadium, which stood on the same site and was closed in 1946. It is named after Argentine President Juan Perón, though it is commonly referred to as "El Cilindro" (The Cylinder) due to its distinctive cylindrical shape, unlike other stadiums in Argentina.[4] A section of the football club’s supporters refer to the stadium as "The Colosseum", drawing a comparison to the architectural design of the Flavian Amphitheatre in Rome, Italy.[5] It also resembles an American cookie cutter stadium from the 60s and 70s.
It was designed by German engineers with experience in rebuilding cities destroyed during the World War II. The project was overseen by Compañía General de Obras Públicas (General Public Works Company, most known as GEOPÉ), the local branch of the German company Philipp Holzmann.[6]
It can accommodate 50,880 spectators, ranking among the largest stadiums in Argentina. Originally designed to hold over 100,000, it served as the venue for major Argentine association football finals and other large-scale events.[7] Its capacity was reduced during renovations in the 1990s, when it also became the first stadium in Argentina with a fully roofed seating area.[8]
History
editThe first project to build this stadium started in 1944, with the purpose of improving club facilities. A special committee was created to acquire 30,000 m2 that were owned by railway companies (British-owned by then). President of Argentina, Juan Perón suggested to build it in Retiro neighborhood, near Buenos Aires downtown. Racing executives decided to stay in Avellaneda.[9]
Works began in 1946. The Government of Argentina lent Racing Club money to finance the construction. In gratitude, the club executives named Juan Perón honorary president of Racing. The driving force behind this funding was Argentina's Minister of Finance, Ramón Cereijo, a passionate supporter of Racing.[10]
On 1 December 1946, Racing played its last match in the old stadium, vs Rosario Central (a 4–6 defeat). The old stadium was demolished while the new venue was inaugurated on 3 September 1950, when Racing beat Vélez Sársfield 1–0. Llamil Simes scored the only goal.
In 1951 the Presidente Perón stadium was one of the venues for the Pan American Games held in Argentina that year. All football matches of the competition were held there. In 1966, the club placed light towers. To celebrate that, the club invited FC Bayern Munich (which brought to Argentina some of its most notable players such as Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Muller and Sepp Maier) to play a match in the stadium, which was won by Racing 3–2.[11]
At international club level, Racing played significant matches in Estadio Presidente Perón, such as the 1967 Copa Libertadores final v Club Nacional de Football and the 1967 Intercontinental Cup final v European champion Celtic FC. At domestic competitions level, Racing was the venue for the 1969 Argentine Primera División final between Chacarita Juniors and River Plate, and the 1976 final where Boca Juniors beat River Plate 1–0 with the "ghost goal" by Rubén Suñé.[12]
In 1993, the Municipality of Avellaneda gave its approval to change the name of Cuyo, one of the streets that surround the stadium. The name changed to Oreste Corbatta to honour a player who is regarded as the greatest idol in the history of Racing.[13][14]
Concerts
edit
The stadium has hosted some national and international concerts since the late 1990s. Some of the artists to have played at the stadium are Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota (1998, with a record attendance of 45,000),[15][16] Rammstein (on 27 November 2010, att: 40,000),[17] Judas Priest and Whitesnake together (18 Sep 2011, att: 35,000),[18] Viejas Locas (14 Jul 2012),[19]La Renga (6 Jan 2024)[15] and Wos (20 April 2024).[20]
References
edit- ^ "INFORME DE CLUBES - RACING CLUB". Asociación de Fútbol Argentino. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
- ^ Los cinco partidos con más público en la historia del fútbol argentino by Daniel Szwarc on 90 Minutos, 30 Apr 2019
- ^ "Racing Club". Classic Football. FIFA. Archived from the original on January 10, 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
- ^ García, Matías (2020-03-04). "Las grandes historias escondidas tras los nombres de los estadios". Clarín (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ "El Cilindro cumple 70 años y Racing lo celebra en sus redes sociales". ESPN.com.ar (in Spanish). 2020-09-03. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ EL CILINDRO DE AVELLANEDA CUMPLE 65 AÑOS (in Spanish). DXTV. 3 Sep 2015 (archived).
- ^ Frías, Miguel (2020-08-18). "El estadio de Racing cumple 70: leyendas de un templo de la emoción extrema". Clarín (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ Estadio en la página oficial del club
- ^ ¿QUÉ SON 66 AÑOS, CILINDRO? on Racing Club website
- ^ Clarín, Redacción (2001-12-05). "Aquella histórica definición entre Racing y Banfield". Clarín (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-04-16.
- ^ Cilindo iluminado, El Gráfico,
- ^ El de Suñé a River, un gol "fantasma" by Pablo Lisotto on La Nación, 22 Dec 2016
- ^ Corbatta, el dueño de la raya by Damián Didonato on Un Caño
- ^ https://racinghoy.com/efemerides-a-66-anos-del-debut-de-oreste-corbatta/ A 66 años del debut de Oreste Corbatta
- ^ a b Las bandas que tocaron en el estadio de Racing on Avellaneda Hoy, 6 Jan 2024
- ^ Los Redondos se mostraron en Racing on La Nación, 19 Dec 1998
- ^ Y Rammstein incendió Racing on Diario 26
- ^ Cobertura: Judas Priest & Whitesnake by Kurt de So-Metal-It-Hurts on Metal Argento
- ^ Viejas Locas copó Racing, El Día, 15 Jul 2012
- ^ Ruiz, Por Ezequiel (2024-04-28). "Wos estrenó su disco en Racing con Natalia Lafourcade de invitada y la bendición del Indio Solari". infobae (in European Spanish).
External links
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