By Samindra Kunti
January 12 – Rio de Janeiro’s famed Maracana stadium has been looted while a dispute over the stadium’s maintenance makes for an increasingly sad story of Brazilian World Cup legacy.
The city’s football federation said windows were smashed and items stolen. Officials have called for action to prevent further damage to the stadium. Images have shown the stadium to be in a deplorable state, just months after hosting the Olympic opening and closing ceremony. The pitch shows dry patches, seats have been displaced and outside the venue looks to be in decay.
The Maracana is owned by Rio de Janeiro’s state government which has been hit hard by Brazil’s deep economic crisis.
The federation said “the worries over the present and the future of the stadium are only increasing”. Brazilian newspaper O Globo reported that the stadium had been abandoned and ransacked since its last official event in September. The federation has called a meeting with the city’s clubs to talk about managing the stadium.
The Maracana is Brazil’s most iconic venue. The stadium was constructed for the 1950 World Cup and was revamped for the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games. The Maracana was also refurbished for the Club World Cup in 2000 and the PanAmerican Games in 2007.
The gates were locked again after the closing ceremony of the 2016 Paralympics left a seven-metre by four-metre hole in the turf. Botafogo, Flamengo, Fluminense and Vasco da Gama, Rio’s four big clubs, have all played at the Maracana.
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