Estádio Major Antônio Couto Pereira, often shortened to Couto Pereira, is the home of
Coritiba Foot Ball Club
Coritiba Foot Ball Club, commonly known as Coritiba and colloquially referred to as "Coxa-Branca" or "Coxa", is a Brazilian football club from Curitiba, capital city of the Brazilian state of Paraná. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest f ...
, located in
Curitiba
Curitiba () is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná (state), Paraná in Brazil. The city's population was 1,948,626 , making it the List of cities in Brazil by population, eighth most populous city in Brazil and the largest in ...
,
Paraná state Paraná, Paranã or Parana may refer to:
Geology
*Paraná Basin, a sedimentary basin in South America
Places In Argentina
* Paraná, Entre Ríos, a city
* Paraná Department, a part of Entre Ríos Province
* Paraná, Buenos Aires, a settlemen ...
,
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. Its formal name honors Major Antônio Couto Pereira, who was Coritiba's president in 1926, 1927, and between 1930 and 1933. He started the stadium construction.
History
![Estádio Couto Pereira](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Est%C3%A1dio_Couto_Pereira.jpg)
In 1927, Major Antônio Couto Pereira, the club's president at that time, acquired a 36,300 m² area, paying for it a hundred
contos de réis. Between the groundplot purchase, which should also accommodate the club's headquarters at the Alto da Glória neighborhood, and the stadium construction, almost five years passed.
The stadium was originally named after
Belfort Duarte
João Evangelista Belfort Duarte, commonly known as Belfort Duarte (November 27, 1883 – November 27, 1918), was a Brazilian football central defender. The Belfort Duarte Award is named after him.
Playing career
Born in São Luís, Maranh ...
,. The stadium was named after Belfort Duarte because the Coritiba counselors did not come to an agreement about the stadium name. The name Belfort Duarte was chosen by president Couto Pereira as a provisory name, which lasted 45 years.
The stadium
floodlights
A floodlight is a broad-beamed, gas discharge lamp#High-intensity discharge lamps, high-intensity artificial light. They are often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is Night game, being held during low-li ...
were inaugurated in 1942, when Coritiba beat
Avaí
Avaí is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 milli ...
4-2.
On February 28, 1977, a General Assembly renamed the stadium to Major Antônio Couto Pereira, after the club's former president died.
In 1988 a ditch around the pitch was built, to prevent supporters from entering the field, and to give a more modern look to the stadium. At the same time the cabins were built, which reduced the stadium capacity, but also made it more comfortable.
The inaugural match was played on November 20, 1932, when Coritiba beat
América 4-2. The first goal of the stadium was scored by Coritiba's Gildo.
The stadium's attendance record in a football match currently stands at 80,000 set on August 18, 1998 when Coritiba beat
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...
2-1.
The stadium's general attendance record was set on August 5, 1980, when 70,000 people came to see
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
.
References
External links
Templos do FutebolCoritiba Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Estadio Couto Pereira
Sport in Curitiba
Couto Pereira
Sports venues in Paraná (state)
Coritiba Foot Ball Club