Estadio Monumental Isidro Romero Carbo is a football stadium located in Guayaquil which is the largest and most densely populated city in Ecuador. The stadium is often referred to as Estadio Banco Pichincha after the former sponsors. It is the home to Ecuadorian club Barcelona S.C.
The stadium was built in 1987 within the small parish of Tarqui having a capacity of 59,283, which makes it the largest in the country and 12th largest in South America.
History
The inauguration of the stadium took place on December 27, 1987. The first game played at this stadium was between Barcelona and Spain. Barcelona invited many South American football celebrities to the inauguration. Pele was one of the celebrities invited.
The stadium underwent expansion between 1992-1994, culminating in the capacity becoming the largest in Ecuador.
A four year contract was signed by the president of Barcelona, Eduardo Maruri, with Ecuadorian bank Banco Pichincha to have the stadium named after the bank. After being renewed, the contract came to an end in 2015.
Architecture
The construction cost of the stadium is $70,000,000. A huge variety of seats from thousands of luxurious chairs in skyboxes to spacious terraces for the less privileged is being offered by the ground.
It has been proven that 75,000 may be fitted without major problem though the official capacity is below 60,000, while the official attendance record from 1997 stands at 91,230.
FIFA selected this stadium in the top 100 stadiums in the world and Pele compared it to the famous Maracana.
Major Matches
In 1987, it hosted its first continental championship in 1993 (Copa America) and its first global match in 1995 (FIFA U17 World Cup), where the stadium was the final venue on both the occasions.
