Estadio Mateo Flores
Encyclopedia
The Estadio Nacional Mateo Flores is a multi-use national stadium
in Guatemala City
, the largest in Guatemala
. It was built in 1948, to host the Central American and Caribbean Games
in 1950
, and was renamed after long-distance runner
Mateo Flores
, winner of the 1952 Boston Marathon
. It has a capacity of 30,000 seats.
Used mostly for football (soccer)
matches, the stadium has hosted the majority of the home matches of the Guatemala national football team
throughout its history, and is the home of local football club Municipal
(Los Rojos). The venue is operated by the Confederación Deportiva Autónoma de Guatemala (CDAG).
One of the worst disasters ever to occur in a sports venue took place at the stadium in 1996, when 83 people were killed because of a human avalanche on the stands.
. The seating area is divided in five sections: Palco (located on the west, and the only section under roof), Tribuna (west, surrounding the Palco), Preferencia (east), General Norte (north), and General Sur (south, where the main entrance is located).
competition –, it is primarily constructed of reinforced concrete
, which is why sometimes it is colloquially referred to as Coloso de Concreto. It was inaugurated on August 18, 1950, to host the VI Central American and Caribbean Games
, at which local runner Doroteo (Mateo) Flores
won the half marathon
event.
After Flores' triumph in the 1952
Boston Marathon
, the Guatemalan government renamed the stadium after him, in recognition to his local and international achievements. Since then, the stadium is also colloquially called El Mateo.
In 1967
, the Guatemala national football team
won the NORCECA championship, predecessor of the CONCACAF Championship
. All of the tournament's matches were played at the Mateo Flores.
In 1973
, the stadium hosted the first Central American Games
(Juegos Deportivos Centroamericanos), and has since been the venue for other two editions, in 1986 and 2001.
Throughout the years, the stadium has also been the usual finishing point of the annual Vuelta a Guatemala
, Central America
's largest single road bicycle racing
competition.
match between Guatemala
and Costa Rica
was to take place, at least 83 people were killed and more than 140 injured as an excessive number of fans attempted to enter the General Sur section, creating a human avalanche into the bottom of the stands, which is separated from the field by a fence. The sale of counterfeit
tickets led to the excess of attending public, and the improper design of the building in the event of an emergency caused the fans to stampede and fall onto each other, causing many people to suffocate
, in one of the worst tragedies to have occurred in a sports stadium.
The football match was immediately suspended by Guatemala President Alvaro Arzú
, who was attending the event, and FIFA
suspended the use of the stadium for official international matches until the safety issues were resolved, a ban that lasted over two years. Some of the problems have been addressed since, but the facility still presents multiple safety issues related to access and egress, and is considered prone to the occurrence of another emergency situation in the event of high attendance.
It is believed that near 50,000 people were trying to attend the stadium that day, which days before the event had been determined to be capable of 37,500 people and of a maximum "congested" seating of 47,500. The total amount of printed tickets was 45,796. According to a local analysis, the number of printed tickets topped the capacity of the stadium by itself, and the circulation of counterfeit
tickets made excessive attendance uncontrollable. At the time, 13 administrative directors were syndicated responsible for the deaths and injuries, but every one of them were able to have the charges dismissed. The CDAG does not assume responsibility for the safety of the facility, claiming that it is the duty of the entities who organize the sports events. The CDAG, however, does not offer a basic contingency or emergency plan for the use of the stadium.
To comply with some of the recommendations made by FIFA after the 1996 events, the capacity of the stadium – which had no individual or numbered seating at the time – was reduced to 30,000 in the 2000s.
National stadium
Many countries have a national football stadium, which typically serves as the primary or exclusive home for one or more of a country's national representative sports teams. The term is most often used in reference to an association football stadium. Usually, a national stadium will be in or very...
in Guatemala City
Guatemala City
Guatemala City , is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Guatemala and Central America...
, the largest in Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
. It was built in 1948, to host the Central American and Caribbean Games
1950 Central American and Caribbean Games
The 6th Central American and Caribbean Games were held in Guatemala City, Guatemala, from February 28 to March 12, 1950. The games included 1.390 athletes from fourteen nations, competing in nineteen sports.-References:...
in 1950
1950 in sports
-American football:* NFL Championship – Cleveland Browns win 30–28 over the Los Angeles Rams* Oklahoma Sooners – college football champions.* Coaches Poll established to rank top 20 American college football teams-Association football:...
, and was renamed after long-distance runner
Long-distance track event
Long-distance track event races require runners to balance their energy. These types of races are predominantly aerobic in nature and at the highest level, exceptional levels of aerobic endurance is required more than anything else...
Mateo Flores
Mateo Flores
Mateo Flores, born Doroteo Guamuch Flores , was a Guatemalan long-distance runner who won several international events, including the Boston Marathon in 1952.-Career:...
, winner of the 1952 Boston Marathon
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
. It has a capacity of 30,000 seats.
Used mostly for football (soccer)
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
matches, the stadium has hosted the majority of the home matches of the Guatemala national football team
Guatemala national football team
The Guatemala national football team is the association football team representing the country of Guatemala and is controlled by the Federación Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala. Founded in 1919, it affiliated to FIFA in 1946, and it is a member of CONCACAF....
throughout its history, and is the home of local football club Municipal
CSD Municipal
Club Social y Deportivo Municipal, also known as Municipal or Los Rojos , are a Guatemalan professional football club based in Guatemala City...
(Los Rojos). The venue is operated by the Confederación Deportiva Autónoma de Guatemala (CDAG).
One of the worst disasters ever to occur in a sports venue took place at the stadium in 1996, when 83 people were killed because of a human avalanche on the stands.
General description
The grass field of the Mateo Flores is surrounded by an eight-lane athletic track, which originally was made of sand, and later remodeled to have a synthetic tartan surfaceTartan track
Tartan Track is the trademarked all-weather synthetic track surfacing made of polyurethane which is used for track and field competitions. It lets athletes compete in bad weather without serious performance loss and improves their results over other surfaces...
. The seating area is divided in five sections: Palco (located on the west, and the only section under roof), Tribuna (west, surrounding the Palco), Preferencia (east), General Norte (north), and General Sur (south, where the main entrance is located).
History
The stadium was built in 1948, as part of the project to build a group of sports facilities known as Ciudad Olímpica, in the Zone 5 of the Guatemalan Capital. Originally named Estadio Olímpico – erroneously, since it has never hosted an olympicOlympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
competition –, it is primarily constructed of reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
, which is why sometimes it is colloquially referred to as Coloso de Concreto. It was inaugurated on August 18, 1950, to host the VI Central American and Caribbean Games
1950 Central American and Caribbean Games
The 6th Central American and Caribbean Games were held in Guatemala City, Guatemala, from February 28 to March 12, 1950. The games included 1.390 athletes from fourteen nations, competing in nineteen sports.-References:...
, at which local runner Doroteo (Mateo) Flores
Mateo Flores
Mateo Flores, born Doroteo Guamuch Flores , was a Guatemalan long-distance runner who won several international events, including the Boston Marathon in 1952.-Career:...
won the half marathon
Half marathon
A half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...
event.
After Flores' triumph in the 1952
1952 in sports
1952 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-American football:* NFL Championship – Detroit Lions win 17–7 over the Cleveland BrownsGeorgia Tech wins national college football championship-England:...
Boston Marathon
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
, the Guatemalan government renamed the stadium after him, in recognition to his local and international achievements. Since then, the stadium is also colloquially called El Mateo.
In 1967
1967 in sports
1967 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* The first Alpine Skiing World Cup is organised for the three ski events: Downhill, Slalom and Giant Slalom:** Men's overall champion: Jean-Claude Killy, France...
, the Guatemala national football team
Guatemala national football team
The Guatemala national football team is the association football team representing the country of Guatemala and is controlled by the Federación Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala. Founded in 1919, it affiliated to FIFA in 1946, and it is a member of CONCACAF....
won the NORCECA championship, predecessor of the CONCACAF Championship
1967 CONCACAF Championship
-Final tournament:-------------------------------------------------------------See also:...
. All of the tournament's matches were played at the Mateo Flores.
In 1973
1973 in sports
1973 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Gustav Thöni, Italy** Women's overall season champion: Annemarie Pröll, Austria-American football:* O.J...
, the stadium hosted the first Central American Games
Central American Games
The Central American Games are a multi-sport regional championships event, held quadrennial , typically in the middle year between Summer Olympics. The Games are for countries in Central America.-Editions:- References :*...
(Juegos Deportivos Centroamericanos), and has since been the venue for other two editions, in 1986 and 2001.
Throughout the years, the stadium has also been the usual finishing point of the annual Vuelta a Guatemala
Vuelta a Guatemala
The Vuelta a Guatemala is a multi-day road bicycle racing stage race held annually and typically during late October and early November in several locations in Guatemala...
, Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
's largest single road bicycle racing
Road bicycle racing
Road bicycle racing is a bicycle racing sport held on roads, using racing bicycles. The term "road racing" is usually applied to events where competing riders start simultaneously with the winner being the first to the line at the end of the course .Historically, the most...
competition.
The October 16 disaster
On October 16, 1996, minutes before a 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)
The 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification, CONCACAF zone ran from March 1996 to November 1997 in order to determine the three CONCACAF representatives at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. For an overview of the qualification rounds, see 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification....
match between Guatemala
Guatemala national football team
The Guatemala national football team is the association football team representing the country of Guatemala and is controlled by the Federación Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala. Founded in 1919, it affiliated to FIFA in 1946, and it is a member of CONCACAF....
and Costa Rica
Costa Rica national football team
The Costa Rica national football team, nicknamed La Sele, is the national team of Costa Rica and is controlled by the Federación Costarricense de Fútbol. Costa Rica is the third most successful team in CONCACAF after Mexico and the United States...
was to take place, at least 83 people were killed and more than 140 injured as an excessive number of fans attempted to enter the General Sur section, creating a human avalanche into the bottom of the stands, which is separated from the field by a fence. The sale of counterfeit
Counterfeit
To counterfeit means to illegally imitate something. Counterfeit products are often produced with the intent to take advantage of the superior value of the imitated product...
tickets led to the excess of attending public, and the improper design of the building in the event of an emergency caused the fans to stampede and fall onto each other, causing many people to suffocate
Asphyxia
Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of severely deficient supply of oxygen to the body that arises from being unable to breathe normally. An example of asphyxia is choking. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which primarily affects the tissues and organs...
, in one of the worst tragedies to have occurred in a sports stadium.
The football match was immediately suspended by Guatemala President Alvaro Arzú
Álvaro Arzú
Álvaro Enrique Arzú Yrigoyen was the 32nd President of Guatemala from January 14, 1996 until January 14, 2000...
, who was attending the event, and FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
suspended the use of the stadium for official international matches until the safety issues were resolved, a ban that lasted over two years. Some of the problems have been addressed since, but the facility still presents multiple safety issues related to access and egress, and is considered prone to the occurrence of another emergency situation in the event of high attendance.
It is believed that near 50,000 people were trying to attend the stadium that day, which days before the event had been determined to be capable of 37,500 people and of a maximum "congested" seating of 47,500. The total amount of printed tickets was 45,796. According to a local analysis, the number of printed tickets topped the capacity of the stadium by itself, and the circulation of counterfeit
Counterfeit
To counterfeit means to illegally imitate something. Counterfeit products are often produced with the intent to take advantage of the superior value of the imitated product...
tickets made excessive attendance uncontrollable. At the time, 13 administrative directors were syndicated responsible for the deaths and injuries, but every one of them were able to have the charges dismissed. The CDAG does not assume responsibility for the safety of the facility, claiming that it is the duty of the entities who organize the sports events. The CDAG, however, does not offer a basic contingency or emergency plan for the use of the stadium.
To comply with some of the recommendations made by FIFA after the 1996 events, the capacity of the stadium – which had no individual or numbered seating at the time – was reduced to 30,000 in the 2000s.