Stade Mohamed V

Stade Mohamed V
Former names	Stade Marcel Cerdan (1955-56) Stade D'honneur (1956-1981)
Location	Maarif, Casablanca, Morocco
Opened	March 6, 1955 (age 55)
Owner	City of Casablanca
Surface	Grass
Capacity	55,000 [1].
Tenants
Raja Casablanca Wydad Casablanca Morocco national football team

Stade Mohamed V (Arabic: مركب محمد الخامس‎) is part of a big athletic complex situated in the heart of the city of Casablanca, Morocco, in the western part of Maarif district. It was inaugurated March 6, 1955, and today it has a capacity of 55,000.^[2].

Sheltering often the games of the national team Moroccan of soccer, the stadium Mohamed V is equally known to be the home of the Raja Casablanca and Wydad Casablanca.

History

Inaugurated on March 6, 1955, under the name of Stade Marcel Cerdan, the stadium had a capacity of 30,000 places. A year later, after the independence of Morocco, it took the name of Stade D'honneur.

At the end of the 1970s, in preparation for the 1983 Mediterranean Games which were held in Casablanca, the stadium was closed for a major renovation; with an increase of the seating capacity, installation of the electronic panel, and construction of the gymnasium and covered swimming pool around the stadium, it reopened in 1981 under its current name, Stade Mohamed V, and with an 80,000 capacity^[3].

In 2000, the stadium was renovated a second time because of Morocco's candidacy to organise the 2010 World Cup, green- and red-coloured seats were installed in the stadium reducing the capacity to its current size, 52,000, and owing to set it seated up of the lateral tribunes abrittant the celèbre magana she will diminish to be In order to continue to welcome the games of the FIFA, that always is his current capacity.

Today, complex has the stadium itself, an indoor gymnasium with a 12,000 capacity, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a media centre of 650 m², a conference room, a meeting room, a care centre, and an anti-doping centre.

The stadium Mohamed V is located right in the center city of Casablanca, the international airport of Casablanca is 25 kilometres from the stadium, and the Casa-Vouyagers rail station is 5 kilometers from the stadium, it disposes besides of a parking lot of a capacity of 1 000 cars.

At the time of the 2006-2007 season, the stadium was closed and reopened in April 2007. It currently is endowed with a semi-artificial lawn of very good quality.

Rihanna performed at the stade on July 12, 2008 as part of her Good Girl Gone Bad Tour; with over 100,000 people in attendance.^[4]

International competitions

The complex hosted the following competitions:

• 1983 Mediterranean Games
• 1988 African Cup of Nations

References

1. ^ http://www.fussballtempel.net/caf/MAR.html
2. ^ http://www.fussballtempel.net/caf/MAR.htmlstadiuminfo=0
3. ^ http://www.goalzz.com/main.aspx?showstadiums=1&searchcountry=MA&stadium=438&stadiuminfo=0
4. ^ http://www.last.fm/event/680910+Rihanna+-+Live+in+Casablanca,+Morocco

External links

• Photos at worldstadiums.com
• Photos at fussballtempel.net

Coordinates: 33°34′58.32″N 7°38′48.54″W / 33.5828667°N 7.6468167°W / 33.5828667; -7.6468167

Preceded by FNB Stadium Johannesburg	Africa Cup of Nations Final Venue 2015	Succeeded by Wadi Al Rabi Stadium Tripoli
Preceded by Cairo International Stadium Cairo	African Cup of Nations Final Venue 1988	Succeeded by Stade 5 Juillet Algiers