Estádio Moisés Lucarelli , also known as Estádio Majestoso, or just Majestoso, is a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

stadium inaugurated on September 12, 1948 in

Campinas Campinas (, ''Plains'' or ''Meadows'') is a Brazilian municipality in São Paulo State, part of the country's Southeast Region. According to the 2020 estimate, the city's population is 1,213,792, making it the fourteenth most populous Brazilian ...

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 ...

, with a maximum capacity of 19,728 spectators. The stadium is owned by

Associação Atlética Ponte Preta Associação Atlética Ponte Preta (), commonly referred to as simply Ponte Preta, is a Brazilian association football club in Campinas, São Paulo. They currently play in the Série B, the second tier of Brazilian football, as well as i ...

. The stadium has a pitch size of 107m x 70m and its area stands at 36,000 m². Its formal name honors Moysés Lucarelli, the co-ordinator of the stadium construction works commission. Its nickname, ''Estádio Majestoso'', means ''Majestic Stadium'', because it was the third largest stadium in Brazil at the time of its inauguration.

History

The stadium was inaugurated on September 12, 1948. The stadium was built with the financial and laboral help of the people of Ponte Preta. It is named after Moysés Lucarelli, the head figure and the main financial collaborator, buying the land and helping in the arrecadation of raw materials. Lucarelli is said to have lost 40% of his vision and also to have developed corneal ulcer during the construction of the stadium, in consequence of the long hours under the hot sun every day. He originally did not want to be honoured, but the club insisted and, taking advantage of a trip Moysés took to Argentina, the stadium was named "behind his back". That's the most probable reason why his name was spelled differently on the stadium's entrance and official registers. The inaugural match was played on September 12, 1948, when XV de Piracicaba beat Ponte Preta 3–0, in a game where Ponte missed two penalties. The first goal of the stadium was scored by XV de Piracicaba's Sato. The stadium's official attendance record currently stands at 34,985, set on February 1, 1978 when

beat Ponte Preta 3–1. It is popularly said that the actual biggest crowd the stadium ever had was on August 16, 1970, when Ponte faced

Pelé Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; born 23 October 1940), known as Pelé (), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and labelled "the greatest" by FIFA, ...

's Santos side. While the official attendance stood at 33.500, a huge crowd gathered around the Majestoso to try to watch the King of Football face

Dicá Oscar Sales Bueno Filho (born 13 July 1947), mostly known as Dicá, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He is the player who has made the most appearances for the AA Ponte Preta (581), and also scored the mos ...

's Ponte, who were the defending champions of the Paulista's second division. The score ended 1–0 to the visitors. The stadium biggest score was set on April 16, 1994, when Ponte Preta beat Ferroviária 8–1.

References

*''Enciclopédia do Futebol Brasileiro'', Volume 2 - Lance, Rio de Janeiro: Aretê Editorial S/A, 2001.

External links

Templos do Futebol
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moises Lucarelli Sports venues in São Paulo (state) Football venues in São Paulo (state) Associação Atlética Ponte Preta Buildings and structures in Campinas