Estádio José Pinheiro Borda is a football stadium, located near the Guaiba River in Porto Alegre, Brazil. This location has given rise to the name Estadio Beira Rio which translates to Riverside Stadium in the Portuguese language.
Named after José Pinheiro Borda, a Portuguese engineer who was the supervisor of the building of the stadium but died before it was completed, the stadium is used a home stadium by Sport Club Internacional.
The stadium has a capacity to hold about 50000 spectators.
History
In 1956, the construction of the stadium was started after the club received donation form from the city council of Guaiba. The fans of the club also supported the construction by bringing bricks, metal and concrete to the stadium.
In the 1960’s, the stadium gained the nickname "Bóia Cativa" since people thought that the construction would never conclude due to the club’s poor form on the field.
After more than 13 years of construction, the stadium was ready for play and the first match was played on April 6, 1969 when the hosts played the Portuguese side Benfica, beating them 2-1. Internacional player Claudiomiro was the first player to score on this field.
The stadium was renovated ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and the facilities like a chapel, bigger parking lot, stores and additional pitches for training were added.
Major Matches
Rio Grande do Sul All-Stars team played the Brazil's national team, on June 17, 1972 and tied with them 3-3. This saw the largest attendance exceeding 100,000 people.
Estádio Beira-Rio for one of the major venues for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. It hosted four group matches and one round of 16 match.
In the round of 16 match between Algeria and Germany, the European nation defeated Algeria and went ahead to win the World Cup too. All these major games have seen a turnout exceeding 42,000 spectators.
Controversies
Internacional has a rivalry with Grêmio, a club from Porto Alegre, and the two sides contest the Gre-Nal derby. It is considered by many fans and commentators to be the fiercest in-city football rivalry in the nation, as well as one of the world's biggest rivalries.
The Gre-Nal derby matches see an outpour of emotions that at times has translated into violence at the Riverside Stadium. Teasers and agitation ruled in Porto Alegre when the Gre-Nal of the century was being played in 1989.
