La Bombonera

For other uses, see La Bombonera (disambiguation).
Estadio Alberto J. Armando
La Bombonera


Full name Estadio Alberto J. Armando
Former names Estadio Boca Juniors (1940-1986)
Estadio Camilo Cichero (1986–2000)
Location Brandsen 805 CP 1161
La Boca, Buenos Aires
Owner Boca Juniors
Capacity 49,000[1]
Record attendance 57,395 (Boca-San Lorenzo, 25 May 1940)[2]
Field size 105 x 68 m
Surface Grass
Construction
Broke ground February 18, 1938
Built 1938-1940
Opened May 25, 1940[3]
Renovated 1995-96
Architect José Luis Delpini, Viktor Sulčič, Raúl Bes
Tenants
Boca Juniors 1940-present

The Estadio Alberto J. Armando (formerly the Estadio Camilo Cichero) is a stadium located in La Boca district of Buenos Aires. Widely known as La Bombonera (Spanish pronunciation: [la βomboˈneɾa]; English: the Chocolate Box[4]) due to its shape, with a "flat" stand on one side of the pitch and three steep stands round the rest of the stadium.[5][6] It has a capacity of 49,000.[1]

The stadium is owned by Boca Juniors, one of Argentina's top football clubs. The unusual shape of the stadium has led to it having excellent acoustics and the Boca support being nicknamed "La Doce" (The 12th man).[5]

The pitch at La Bombonera is the minimum size required under FIFA regulations - 105m x 68m.

The stadium, as well as being the home of Boca Juniors, is also used as a concert venue. Past performers at La Bombonera have included Lenny Kravitz, Sir Elton John, James Blunt, the Bee Gees, the Backstreet Boys, and Cast having performed there.[7]

History

Placque donated by San Lorenzo de Almagro to Club Atlético Boca Juniors due to the inauguration of La Bombonera, 1940.

Construction began on the stadium on February 18, 1938, and Boca played their home matches at the Ferro Carril Oeste Stadium until the new stadium was built. The stadium finally opened on May 25, 1940, with a friendly match between Boca and San Lorenzo, which the home side won 2-0 with both goals scored by Ricardo Alarcón. The stadium originally had two tiers, and in 1949 the club decided to add a third tier, which was completed in 1953;[8] this third tier gave the stadium its enduring nickname: La Bombonera.[5]

The stadium was named on April 20, 1986, by team President Antonio Alegre in honor of Camilo Cichero, a former team president under whose tenure work on La Bombonera began. It was renamed on December 27, 2000, by team President Mauricio Macri in honor of Alberto Armando, team president during its resurgence during the 1960s as well as a former business partner of his father Francisco Macri. The stadium was expanded and modernized during Macri's tenure, notably with the addition in 1996 of a fourth tier; and a wing housing a press area, VIP boxes, a museum, and offices. The stadium's exterior was later decorated with works by painters Rómulo Macció and Pérez Celis.[9]

Facilities

La Bombonera currently has a capacity of around 49,000 and the club's popularity make tickets hard to find, especially for the Superclásico derby against River Plate.[6]

Out of its capacity of 49,000, there are 37,538 seats, 2780 are boxes and 8,682 standing. Both its interior and exterior are lined with a number of murals painted by the artist Pérez Celis depicting many of the club's legendary players and aspects of the district's culture, such as the life of Italian immigrants.[10]

In 1996 a small stand was built on the 4th side, which had been largely open until then, except for some VIP boxes.[11]

Diego Maradona, who played for and supports Boca Juniors, has his own executive box at the stadium.[6]

There are three parking lots at the stadium for members.[12]

Redevelopment

The stadium from inside.

There are planned improvements for the stadium, including measures to ease crowd congestion, use of new technology in the stadium and improved corporate facilities. These include:[13]

Argentina national football team on La Bombonera

Game Date Local Result Visit
1970 FIFA WCQ 31 August 1969  Argentina 2-2  Peru
Friendly 8 January 1971  Argentina 3-4  France
Friendly 27 February 1977  Argentina 5-1  Hungary
Friendly 29 May 1977  Argentina 3-1  Poland
Friendly 5 June 1977  Argentina 1-3  Germany
Friendly 12 June 1977  Argentina 1-1  England
Friendly 18 June 1977  Argentina 1-1  Scotland
Friendly 26 June 1977  Argentina 0-0  France
Friendly 29 March 1978  Argentina 3-1  Bulgaria
Friendly 5 April 1978  Argentina 2-0  Romania
Friendly 19 April 1978  Argentina 3-1  Republic of Ireland
Friendly 3 May 1978  Argentina 3-0  Uruguay
Friendly 26 November 1992  Argentina 2-0  Poland
1998 FIFA WCQ 16 November 1997  Argentina 1-1  Colombia
2012 Superclásico de las Américas 21 November 2012  Argentina 2-1  Brazil
2018 FIFA WCQ 23 March 2017  Argentina ?-?  Chile

Boca Museum

The Passion of Boca Juniors Museum (Spanish: Museo de la Pasión Boquense) was opened by Mauricio Macri,[14][15] and is located within the stadium. It is on two floors and chronicles the club's rise from 1905 to the present day. One of the exhibits in the museum is a giant football with 360-degree footage of the club's fans and players at a match. The museum also includes a Hall of fame and a large mural of Diego Maradona. Also included are non-football items such as the specially commissioned blue and gold guitar played by Lenny Kravitz when he performed at La Bombonera in 2005.[7][16]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "La Bombonera En Numéros". La Bombonera (in Spanish). Boca Juniors. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
  2. ↑ "Ranking the Top 10 Most Iconic Stadiums in World Football". 12 April 2013.
  3. ↑ http://www.worldofstadiums.com/south-america/argentina/estadio-alberto-j-armando/
  4. ↑ Ben Groundwater (20 September 2010). "Want to get to know a country? Head for the stadium". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 "10 Intimidating Stadiums (Worldwide)". mifielddynamo.com. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
  6. 1 2 3 "Buenos Aires: In a liga of its own". The Independent. 27 January 2007. Archived from the original on 2008-01-18. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
  7. 1 2 "Estadio Boca Juniors Review". Fodor's. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
  8. ↑ "The Stadium". Club Atlético Boca Juniors. Archived from the original on 2008-07-04. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
  9. ↑ "Boca Juniors y sus estadios". Club Atlético Boca Juniors.
  10. ↑ "Fochada de la Bombonera". Bocacampeonweb. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
  11. ↑ "La Bombonera". The Stadium Guide. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  12. ↑ "El Estadio: Alberto J. Armando" (in Spanish). Agrupación Nuevo Boca. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
  13. ↑ "First in the World - Processes that have been certified with the maximum distinction". Club Atlético Boca Juniors. Archived from the original on 2008-05-28. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
  14. ↑ Neumann, Jeannette (1 May 2008). "In Argentina, fans go wild for Boca Juniors". USA Today. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
  15. ↑ "Buenos Aires Attractions - Boca Juniors Stadium and Museum". New York Times. Archived from the original on February 24, 2007. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
  16. ↑ "El Museo de la Pasión Bocquense" (in Spanish). Club Atlético Boca Juniors. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
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Coordinates: 34°38′8.34″S 58°21′52.74″W / 34.6356500°S 58.3646500°W / -34.6356500; -58.3646500

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