Since
the first soccer stadiums in Brazil were constructed in 1902, there have been
many different purposes for building them and various consequences after they
are built. From a place where Brazilians could watch the soccer matches, to
multipurpose arenas, to political tools, the motivation behind creating these
stadiums has evolved throughout the years. For example, when Maracanã was built
to house the national team for the 1950 World Cup, the stadium marked the
beginning for the “marriage between the Brazilian national team and its fans.”1
Through the “architectonic conception” of the stadium with an elliptical
design, the spectators in Maracanã were not separated by social classes.1
This allowed members of the audience to establish a collective identity
associated with the game, the teams, and the stadium. Stadiums can also be used
for political purposes; after president Getulio Vargas came into power in 1930,
stadiums “became a platform for huge national civic manifestations.”1
In his campaign to pursue national integration, the São Januário stadium was
used for civic events such as the September 7th Independence Day
festivities, in addition to the professional soccer games.
More
recently, the stadium in Curitiba, Arena da Baixada, was the first stadium with
a multi-use European sports arena concept built in Brazil and encouraged the
construction of other multiuse arenas throughout the country. This concept sees
soccer as a commodity, and the stadium would reflect this style by offering
other commodities in addition to the games themselves. Unlike the other
stadiums, Arena da Baixada had the public closer to the turf, offered
“exclusive luxurious boxes,” and had a mega store to sell products for the
team’s kit sponsor.1 However, it is debatable whether it is truly
necessary to adapt the European models to the Brazilian stadiums since the majority
of Brazilian soccer clubs lack the adequate resources and know how to achieve
that goal.
With
the stadium renovations and constructions required for the 2014 World Cup, people
have begun to question whether working on so many stadiums, and of such
magnitude can be justified when considering some of the smaller cities that
were chosen for the Cup and the small demand for the stadiums after the World
Cup ends. As the date of the World Cup approached, the concerns were shifter to
whether the stadiums would even be completed on time. Mass protests against the
World Cup, combined with construction problems ensured that the stadiums were
not completed by the Dec. 31 deadline originally set by FIFA.2
Although they extended the deadline to January, in the renovated Arena da
Baixada stadium in Curitiba, “construction work was still going on on Monday
morning before the match.”3 Fortunately, here in Curitiba the
inaugural game for the stadium of Iran vs. Nigeria still took place, despite
the unfinished portions of the facility. Whatever the motivation for renovating
the stadium for the World Cup, the event ran very smoothly and safely. With
over 92% attendance in the audience, I believe this stadium can be considered a
success.
1 Holzmeister, Antonio. A Brief History of
Soccer Stadiums in Brazil. Soccer and
Society 2014. Vol. 15, No. 1, 65–80, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14660970.2013.854566
2 Brazil World Cup 2014: Six stadiums under constructions 'not ready
for deadline'. Voice of Russia, International Business Time,
BBC. December 5, 2013.
http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2013_12_05/Brazil-World-Cup-2014-Six-stadiums-under-constructions-not-ready-for-deadline-9157/
3 WATCH: Arena
de Baixada remains unfinished as World Cup actions kicks off inside the
stadium. Global News. June 16, 2014.
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