Estádio Parque do Sabiá

Estádio Parque do Sabiá, also known as Estádio Municipal João Havelange, is a multi-use stadium in Uberlândia, Brazil. It is currently used mostly for football matches. It is the home ground of Uberlândia Esporte Clube, and is the biggest stadium in Minas Gerais state countryside. The stadium was built in 1982 and is able to hold 75,000 people. It is owned by the Uberlândia City Hall. The stadium is named after João Havelange, who is a former president of FIFA.

History

The stadium was inaugurated on May 27, 1982, as Parque do Sabiá (meaning Thrush's Park) .

In 1995, the stadium was renamed to Estádio Municipal João Havelange ( Municipal Stadium João Havelange), after a suggestion of the city councillor Leonídio Bouças. However, the name change was not very popular among city of Uberlândia football fans, and the stadium are still commonly called Parque do Sabiá.

The inaugural match was played on May 27, 1982, when the Brazil national football team beat the Republic of Ireland national football team 7-0. The first goal of the stadium was scored by Brazil's Falcão.

The stadium's attendance record currently stands at 80,000, set on the inaugural match.

References

*"Enciclopédia do Futebol Brasileiro", Volume 2 - Lance, Rio de Janeiro: Aretê Editorial S/A, 2001.

Photos

External links

* [http://mavalem.sites.uol.com.br/mg/Uberlandia.htm Templos do Futebol]