Arena Independência | |
 | |
 Interactive map of Estádio Raimundo Sampaio | |
| Location | Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 19°54′30″S43°55′04″W / 19.90833°S 43.91778°W /-19.90833; -43.91778 |
| Owner | América-MG |
| Operator | BWA Arenas |
| Capacity | 23,018[1] |
| Field size | 105 × 68 meters |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1947–1950 |
| Opened | 25 June 1950 |
| Renovated | 2010–2012 |
| Tenants | |
| América-MG | |
Estádio Raimundo Sampaio, more commonly known asArena Independência (Independence Arena), is anassociation football stadium located in theHorto neighborhood ofBelo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. It was built in 1950 for theFIFA World Cup, held in Brazil. Initially its capacity was 30,000 people, but after the reconstruction between 2010 and 2012, the capacity is approximately 23,000 people.[1] It belonged to the defunctSete de Setembro Futebol Clube [pt], which is why the stadium is called "Independence" (the name of the team, September 7, isBrazil's Independence Day). The stadium is currently property ofAmérica Futebol Clube, but has been leased to the Minas Gerais state government for 20 years, as a counterpart to the injection of public resources to demolish the old stadium and build the new one.
Arena Independência is one of the most important stadiums in Belo Horizonte. Its formal name honors Raimundo Sampaio, a former chairman of Sete de Setembro. América plays their home games here.
Construction started in 1947 in preparation for the1950 FIFA World Cup. The inaugural match was betweenYugoslavia andSwitzerland, won by the former 3–0, on 25 June 1950 at the World Cup. The first stadium goal was scored by Tomasevic. One of the most famous upsets inFIFA World Cup history was played here, the1–0 upset by theUnited States overEngland at that 1950 World Cup.
After the construction ofMineirão, ownership of the stadium was transferred by the Minas Gerais government toSete de Setembro.
Originally the stadium belonged to the Government of Minas Gerais, but with the inauguration of Mineirão in 1965, became the property of the club Sete de Setembro (the reason the stadium is popularly known as "Independence", according to the historical date). With the merger of this club with América, the latter became the owner. At this stage América won Campeonato Brasileiro Série B in 1997 in the confrontation against Vila Nova-GO and in a match against Náutico. For the final phase 18,900 paying fans attended. América also won at that stage the Brazilian Series C Championship in 2009.
In 1999, in partnership with Atlético, América built a metal-structure grandstand, increasing the stadium capacity to about 30,000 people, plus an electronic scoreboard. Owing to a lack of proper security, this grandstand was deactivated shortly thereafter. The end of the partnership also resulted in the removal of the scoreboard. Independência already served as a venue for music festivals, such as Pop Rock Brazil and the Axé Brazil.
The attendance record is 32,721 spectators, set in the match between Minas Gerais and Guanabara (Carioca), won by Minas Gerais 1–0, and played on 27 January 1963, it was the first final match of the 1962Campeonato Brasileiro de Seleções Estaduais, played by state teams.
In 2010, Independência was demolished apart from its dressing rooms,[2] and a brand new stadium was built in its place to host the games ofAtlético Mineiro andAmérica Mineiro whileMineirão went through renovations to host the2014 FIFA World Cup. During the stadium's renovation, all three Belo Horizonte teams played in theArena do Jacaré, located in nearby citySete Lagoas.[3] In 2012, the renovation was completed andAmérica Mineiro returned to its original home venue, which is being also used to host games ofAtlético Mineiro.[4]
 | This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(January 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
In the1950 FIFA World Cup, the Independência hosted three matches in the group stage, including the notable upsetUnited States vs England.
| Date | Team #1 | Res. | Team #2 | Round | Spectators |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 June 1950 |  Yugoslavia | 3–0 |  Switzerland | Group 1 | 7,336 |
| 19 June 1950 |  United States | 1–0 |  England | Group 2 | 10,151 |
| 2 July 1950 |  Uruguay | 8–0 |  Bolivia | Group 4 | 5,284 |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Stadiums |
|
| Training grounds |
|
| Media | |
| Rivalries | |
| Related articles | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
