Estadio Alberto J. Armando
Encyclopedia
The Estadio Alberto J. Armando (formerly the Estadio Camilo Cichero) is a stadium
located in the La Boca
district of Buenos Aires
. Widely known as La Bombonera (the Chocolate Box) due to its shape, with a "flat" stand on one side of the pitch and three steep stands round the rest of the stadium. It has a capacity of 49,000.
The stadium is owned by Boca Juniors
, one of Argentina
's most famous 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).
Three sides of the Bombonera are made up of traditional stands. However, the fourth side had to be built vertically, with several seating areas stacked one on top of the other, to stay within the stadium's property. La Bombonera is renowned for vibrating when fans start to jump in rhythm. In particular, the unique vertical side will sway slightly, leading to the phrase " La Bombonera doesn't shake: it beats (like a heart)."
The pitch at La Bombonera is the minimum length required under FIFA
regulations - 105m x 68m.
As well as being the home of Boca Juniors the stadium is also used as a concert venue, with the likes of Lenny Kravitz
, Elton John
, James Blunt
, Bee Gees
, Backstreet Boys
and Cast having performed there.
until the new stadium was built. The stadium finally opened on 25 May 1940 with a friendly match
between Boca and San Lorenzo
, which the home side won 2-0 with both goals score by Ricardo Alarcón. The stadium, which was originally named Estadio Camilo Cichero, after then club president, Camil Cichero, had two tiers, and in 1949 the club decided to add a third tier, which was completed in 1953, giving the stadium its nickname La Bombonera.
Floodlights
were installed in 1952, so that games could be played in the evenings and thus allowing the stadium to host international matches.
The side opposite the Casa Amarilla railway platforms remained mostly unbuilt until the 1990s, when it was upgraded with new balconies and executive boxes, when between 1995 and 1996 the stadium underwent a major renovation, under Mauricio Macri
’s presidency in order to raise its capacity from 49,000 to 57,395. The old Executive boxes
on Del Valle Iberlucea Street were demolished and replaced by a small tier over which the current executive boxes were built.
The stadium was officially renamed Estadio Alberto J. Armando on 27 December 2000. The name was chosen in honor of Alberto Armando
, a former club president who had promised a major renovation of La Bombonera after his election in 1975, but whose plans were delayed by the country's political and economic situation at the time.
Only four Brazilian football clubs have beaten Boca Juniors at the Estadio Alberto J. Armando in competitive matches: Santos, Cruzeiro
, Paysandu
and most recently Internacional
who beat Boca 2-1 at the stadium in the quarter-final, second leg of the Copa Sudamericana 2008
on 6 November 2008. While Grêmio
won a friendly match in the 1960s.
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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
.
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 mural
s 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. The black and white Coca-Cola
advertisement banners that hang in the stadium are among the few worldwide not to use Coca Cola's trademark red, as Boca's arch rivals River Plate play in red and white.
Diego Maradona
, who played for and supports Boca Juniors, has his own executive box at the stadium.
On 1 August 2001 Boca took on a commitment to provide an improved service at all events held at the stadium, be they sports matches or shows. The aim was to implement a Quality management system
which would enable the stadium's owners to achieve a higher standard of excellence. The quality certification ISO9001:2000 was attained, which was awarded by Bureau Veritas Quality International (BVQI)
in 2001. Re-certification was achieved in a BVQI audit on 20 March 2007
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.
is "Estadio Grand Chaco". The stadium was featured in the 2001
satirical
comedy film
, Mike Bassett: England Manager
as a stadium in Brazil
in which England
loses 4-0 to Mexico
in the World Cup
.
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
located in the La Boca
La Boca
La Boca is a neighborhood, or barrio of the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires. It retains a strong European flavour, with many of its early settlers being from the Italian city of Genoa. In fact the name has a strong assonance with the Genoese neighborhood of Boccadasse , and some people believe that...
district of Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
. Widely known as La Bombonera (the Chocolate Box) due to its shape, with a "flat" stand on one side of the pitch and three steep stands round the rest of the stadium. It has a capacity of 49,000.
The stadium is owned by Boca Juniors
Boca Juniors
Club Atlético Boca Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primera División....
, one of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
's most famous 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).
Three sides of the Bombonera are made up of traditional stands. However, the fourth side had to be built vertically, with several seating areas stacked one on top of the other, to stay within the stadium's property. La Bombonera is renowned for vibrating when fans start to jump in rhythm. In particular, the unique vertical side will sway slightly, leading to the phrase " La Bombonera doesn't shake: it beats (like a heart)."
The pitch at La Bombonera is the minimum length required under FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
regulations - 105m x 68m.
As well as being the home of Boca Juniors the stadium is also used as a concert venue, with the likes of Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz
Leonard Albert "Lenny" Kravitz is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and arranger, whose "retro" style incorporates elements of rock, soul, R&B, funk, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, folk and ballads...
, Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, James Blunt
James Blunt
James Hillier Blount , better known by his stage name James Blunt, is an English singer-songwriter and musician, and former army officer, whose debut album, Back to Bedlam and single releases, including "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover", brought him to fame in 2005...
, Bee Gees
Bee Gees
The Bee Gees are a musical group that originally comprised three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was successful for most of their 40-plus years of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a pop act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as a...
, Backstreet Boys
Backstreet Boys
The Backstreet Boys are an American vocal group, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1993. The band originally consisted of A. J. McLean, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter and Kevin Richardson. They rose to fame with their debut international album, Backstreet Boys...
and Cast having performed there.
Stadium history
Work began on constructing the stadium on 18 February 1938, and Boca played their home matches at the Ferro Carril Oeste StadiumEstadio Ricardo Etcheverry
Estadio Arquitecto Ricardo Etcheverry is a multi-purpose stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, located close to the Puan station on Line A of the Metro. It is currently used mostly for football matches, by Ferro Carril Oeste. The stadium has a capacity of 24,442 people...
until the new stadium was built. The stadium finally opened on 25 May 1940 with a friendly match
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
between Boca and San Lorenzo
Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro
Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro is an Argentine sports club based in Boedo neighbourhood, Buenos Aires, mostly known because of its football team....
, which the home side won 2-0 with both goals score by Ricardo Alarcón. The stadium, which was originally named Estadio Camilo Cichero, after then club president, Camil Cichero, had two tiers, and in 1949 the club decided to add a third tier, which was completed in 1953, giving the stadium its nickname La Bombonera.
Floodlights
Floodlights (sport)
Floodlights are broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial lights often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is being held during low-light conditions....
were installed in 1952, so that games could be played in the evenings and thus allowing the stadium to host international matches.
The side opposite the Casa Amarilla railway platforms remained mostly unbuilt until the 1990s, when it was upgraded with new balconies and executive boxes, when between 1995 and 1996 the stadium underwent a major renovation, under Mauricio Macri
Mauricio Macri
Mauricio Macri is an Argentine businessman turned politician, and Head of Government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. Son of Francisco Macri, a businessman of Italian origin prominent in the industrial and construction sectors, he represented the City of Buenos Aires in the Lower House of...
’s presidency in order to raise its capacity from 49,000 to 57,395. The old Executive boxes
Luxury box
A Luxury box is a special seating section located within stadiums, arenas and other sporting and entertainment venues. They are typically located in the midsection of a stadium grandstand, usually providing the best views of the event...
on Del Valle Iberlucea Street were demolished and replaced by a small tier over which the current executive boxes were built.
The stadium was officially renamed Estadio Alberto J. Armando on 27 December 2000. The name was chosen in honor of Alberto Armando
Alberto Armando
Alberto Jacinto Armando was a notable Argentine football official. He was the president of Boca Juniors from 1954 to 1955, and from 1960 to 1980.-Life and career:...
, a former club president who had promised a major renovation of La Bombonera after his election in 1975, but whose plans were delayed by the country's political and economic situation at the time.
Only four Brazilian football clubs have beaten Boca Juniors at the Estadio Alberto J. Armando in competitive matches: Santos, Cruzeiro
Cruzeiro Esporte Clube
Cruzeiro Esporte Clube is a Brazilian football team, from Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, and are one of the only five clubs to have never been relegated, along with Santos, São Paulo, Flamengo and Internacional. Founded on January 2, 1921, they are only one of three clubs to have participated in...
, Paysandu
Paysandu Sport Club
Paysandu Sport Club is a Brazilian football club located in Belém, Pará. Paysandu is also known as Papão da Curuzu because it won several titles in the 1940s and Curuzu from the name of the street where Paysandu's stadium sits.Paysandu is a club in Northern Brazil, having won 43 State Leagues, 1...
and most recently Internacional
Sport Club Internacional
Sport Club Internacional is a Brazilian football team and multi-sport club from Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, founded on April 4, 1909, and are one of the only five clubs to have never been relegated, along with Santos, São Paulo, Flamengo and Cruzeiro. They play in red shirts, white shorts and...
who beat Boca 2-1 at the stadium in the quarter-final, second leg of the Copa Sudamericana 2008
Copa Sudamericana 2008
The 2008 Copa Sudamericana de Clubes was the seventh edition of the Copa Sudamericana football tournament. The draw for the tournament took place on June 10, 2008 in Buenos Aires and the competition was played between July 30 and December 3. Arsenal de Sarandí were the defending champions, having...
on 6 November 2008. While Grêmio
Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense
Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense, commonly known as just Grêmio , is a Brazilian professional association football team based in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul founded by English and German immigrants on September 15, 1903. Major titles captured by Grêmio include one Intercontinental Cup, two Copa...
won a friendly match in the 1960s.
La Bombonera today
Superclásico
Superclásico is the name used to describe the football match in Argentina between Buenos Aires rivals Boca Juniors and River Plate. It derives from the Spanish usage of "clásico" to mean derby, with the prefix "super" used as the two clubs are the most popular and successful clubs in Argentine...
derby
Local derby
In many countries the term local derby, or simply just derby means a sporting fixture between two, generally local, rivals, particularly in association football...
against River Plate
Club Atlético River Plate
Club Atlético River Plate is an Argentine sports club based in the Nuñez neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently competes in Nacional B, the second tier of Argentine football....
.
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 mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
s painted by the artist Pérez Celis
Pérez Celis
Celis Pérez was an Argentine artist usually referred to as Pérez Celis. He earned international recognition for his paintings, sculptures, murals and engravings.-Life and work:...
depicting many of the club's legendary players and aspects of the district's culture, such as the life of Italian immigrants. The black and white Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
advertisement banners that hang in the stadium are among the few worldwide not to use Coca Cola's trademark red, as Boca's arch rivals River Plate play in red and white.
Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...
, who played for and supports Boca Juniors, has his own executive box at the stadium.
On 1 August 2001 Boca took on a commitment to provide an improved service at all events held at the stadium, be they sports matches or shows. The aim was to implement a Quality management system
Quality management system
A quality management system can be expressed as the organizational structure, procedures, processes and resources needed to implement quality management.-Elements of a Quality Management System:# Organizational structure# Responsibilities# Methods...
which would enable the stadium's owners to achieve a higher standard of excellence. The quality certification ISO9001:2000 was attained, which was awarded by Bureau Veritas Quality International (BVQI)
Bureau Veritas
Bureau Veritas S.A. is a multinational company providing conformity assessment, certification and consulting services to industry, government and individuals. Originally formed in Antwerp in 1828 as Bureau de Renseignements pour les Assurances Maritimes , the Bureau Veritas name was adopted in 1829...
in 2001. Re-certification was achieved in a BVQI audit on 20 March 2007
Redevelopment
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:- Main gate, museum and megastore: Work is planned to be done on the main access to the stadium at 805 Brandsen which will include the construction of a megastore, and to then connect the main access with the store and the club's museum.
- Third tier:Remodelling work to install further seating and improve spectator comfort.
- Stadium gates: Building work to improve access and prevent crowd congestion is underway. The first phase focuses on improving access to the executive boxes and premium seats. In addition, new software and hardware will improve access control with regard to safety and quickness to prevent crowd congestion.
- Creation of a corporate area: Businesses will have an area in the stadium with VIP service. One section in the second tier, is being re-designed with two executive boxes and more comfortable seating. The service will also provide businesses with season ticketSeason ticketA season ticket is a ticket that grants privileges over a defined period of time.-Sport:In sport, a season ticket grants the holder access to all regular-season home games for one season without additional charges. The ticket usually offers a discounted price over purchasing a ticket for each of...
s to allow them to invite clients. It also includes transportation, museum visits and catering services.
Boca Museum
The Passion of Boca Juniors Museum was opened by Mauricio Macri, and is located within the stadium. It is on two floors an 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 fameHall of Fame
A hall of fame, wall of fame, walk of fame, walk of stars or avenue of stars is a type of attraction established for any field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field...
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.
La Bombonera in popular culture
Because the lack of licensing, the name of the stadium in the videogame Pro Evolution SoccerPro Evolution Soccer
Pro Evolution Soccer is a series of football video game developed and published by Konami...
is "Estadio Grand Chaco". The stadium was featured in the 2001
2001 in film
The year 2001 in film involved some significant events, including the first of the Harry Potter series and also the first of The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
satirical
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
, Mike Bassett: England Manager
Mike Bassett: England Manager
Mike Bassett: England Manager is a 2001 satirical comedy film directed by Steve Barron, following the fortunes of the manager of Division One football club Norwich City, Mike Bassett, who having led his side to the 'Mr Clutch Cup', is appointed England manager.The film takes the form of a...
as a stadium in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
in which England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
loses 4-0 to Mexico
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
in the World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
.