Stadio Diego Armando Maradona,formerly known asStadio San Paolo,[1][2]is a stadium in the westernFuorigrottasuburb ofNaples,Italy.It is the fourth largest football stadium in Italy,[3]afterMilan'sSan Siro,Rome'sStadio OlimpicoandBari'sSan Nicola.For the1960 Summer OlympicsinRome,the stadium hosted thefootballpreliminaries. It is currently used mostly forfootballmatches and is the home stadium ofSSC Napoli.Constructed in 1959, the stadium was extensively renovated in 1989 for the1990 World Cupand again in 2018. The stadium currently accommodates 60,240 spectators, but in the past with terraced sections, the stadium took close to 90,000.[4]
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| Former names | Stadio del Sole (1959–63) Stadio San Paolo (1963–2020) |
|---|---|
| Location | Naples,Campania,Italy |
| Coordinates | 40°49′41″N14°11′35″E/ 40.8280°N 14.1930°E |
| Owner | Comune di Napoli |
| Executive suites | 20 |
| Capacity | 54,725 (all-seater) |
| Record attendance | 90,736 (NapolivJuventus,15 December 1974) |
| Field size | 110 m × 68 m (361 ft × 223 ft) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1948 |
| Built | 1948–1959 |
| Opened | 6 December 1959 |
| Renovated | 1989–1990, 2019 |
| Architect | Carlo Cocchia, Luigi Corradi |
| Tenants | |
| SSC Napoli(1959–present) Italy national football team(selected matches) | |
History
editThis sectionneeds expansionwith: Early history. You can help byadding to it.(December 2020) |
Even thoughNapoliwas in theSerie C1during the 2005–06 season, Napoli achieved the feat of having the 3rd highest average home attendance in Italy for the season, with only twoSerie Aclubs,AC MilanandInter Milanrecording higher attendances. Napoli's final game of the season drew a crowd of 51,000 which now stands as a Serie C all-time record.
The stadium also hosted Italy'sEuro 2008 qualifieragainstLithuaniaon 2 September 2006.
The stadium was renovated in preparation for the2019 Summer Universiade;this included replacing metal fencing with glass barriers and replacing seats. This means the stadium's capacity was reduced from 60,240 to 54,726.[5]The stadium hosted the opening ceremony andathletics event.
Following the death of club legendDiego Maradonain November 2020, Naples' mayorLuigi de Magistrisand Napoli presidentAurelio De Laurentiisproposed renaming the stadium to "Stadio Diego Armando Maradona", and on December 4, 2020, the proposal was passed by the city council.[2]
Events
edit1990 FIFA World Cup
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The stadium was one of the venues of the1990 FIFA World Cup,and held five matches. The first two wereArgentina’sGroup B matches: the first was againstSoviet Unionon 13 June winning 2–0, and the second was againstRomaniaon 18 June ending in a 1–1 draw. The next two wereCameroonmatches: the first was a Round of 16 match againstColombiaon 23 June winning 2–1 after extra time, and the second was a Quarter-finals match againstEnglandon 1 July losing 3–2 after extra time.
The fifth and last was the semi-final between Argentina andItalyon 3 July. Argentina's superstarDiego Maradona,who played for Naples's Italian 1st division team and was a hero to their supporters, asked Napoli fans to cheer for Argentina. The Napolitifosiresponded by hanging a giant flag in their "curva"of the stadium saying" Maradona, Naples loves you, but Italy is our homeland ".[6]Maradona later said he was touched that Napoli was the only stadium during that World Cup where the Argentinian national anthem was not jeered. The match finished 1–1 after extra time. A penalty shoot-out ensued, with Argentina winning and Maradona scoring one of his side's penalties.
References
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- ^Edwards, Andy (4 December 2020)."Napoli's stadium now officially Stadio Diego Armando Maradona".NBC Sports.
Originally named the Stadio San Paolo, afterSaint Paul the Apostle,Napoli's home stadium will henceforth be called the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
- ^ab"Official: Stadio Diego Armando Maradona".Football Italia. 4 December 2020.
- ^"Stadio San Paolo".The Stadium Guide.23 March 2015.Retrieved29 October2021.
- ^"Stadio Diego Armando Maradona (Stadio San Paolo) –".Stadiumdb.Retrieved2022-08-22.
- ^"Naples: The great... no, it's just repairs for San Paolo – StadiumDB".stadiumdb.
- ^Maradona, Diego (2004).El Diego, pg. 166.