Estadio Benito Villamarín is the home stadium of Real Beltis, the top tier club of Spanish football. Besides being the playground of Real Betis Balompié, it is the epicenter of the whole organization of the Verdiblanca entity.
Estadio Benito Villamarín Seating Capacity
The southern stand was demolished in 2016 for expansion. After its renovation and consequent re-opening in August 2017, it is said to seat 60,270 people, substantially more than its previous capacity of 52,000.
History
Real Betis started playing in this location in March 1929, when the ground's name was still Estadio de Heliopolis. However, Benito Villamarin was given patronage in 1929 itself.
The first football match played at the stadium was an international between Spain and Portugal on 17 March 1929. Beltis started playing occasional games here, but it wasn’t until 1936 that it became their designated home stadium.
Major Matches
The stadium was remodelled to host the 1982 FIFA World Cup. It hosted two matches of the group stage, where Brazil defeated Scotland 4-1 and New Zealand 4-0 in the two matches.
For the two games of the FIFA event, the ground accommodated 47,500 fans, of whom 21,000 could seat, and the remaining stands offering terracing only.
The Seville Derby is played at the stadium between Betis and Sevilla. This is one of the fiercest rivalries in Spain. At the Estadio Benito Villamarín, Betis seem to have an upper hand at league game, and Sevilla in Cup games, according to statistics.
Controversies
The Seville derby showcases the usual enmity between fans, and the passions can indeed boil over into ugly scenes at times.
Back in 2007, Sevilla’s wingback Antonio Puerta collapsed on the pitch of Betis’ home stadium during the opening match of the season. He had suffered cardiac arrest, and passed away on August 28. The entire city mourned his death.
Juande Ramos, the then coach of Seville in 2007, was hit by a glass bottle thrown at him from the stands, when Sevilla were celebrating a goal in the quarter finals of the Copa Del Rey.
