THE LEGENDARY Maracana Stadium is being put up for sale by Brazilian authorities.
The famous ground is considered by many as the world’s most historic football venue, having hosted two finals in 1950 and 2014.
The Maracana is being put up for sale by Brazilian authoritiesCredit: Getty Images
Rio de Janeiro need to raise funds as theirs debt with the central government stands at £1.7billion, and must be paid in 2026Credit: AFP via Getty Images
According to Marca , however, the State of Rio de Janeiro has made the decision to sell Brazil’s crown jewell due to financial problems.
The same source claims the state government urgently needs to raise funds, and the is among its most valuable assets.
‘s debt with the central government is said to stand at a staggering £1.7billion, and it must be paid in 2026.
Local authorities recently modified a bill that the executive branch had presented.
And thus, of the 48 initial properties they were planning to sell they eliminated 16 and added 30 – among which is the famous temple of world football.
The president of the commission in charge Rodrigo Amorim argues the Maracana costs the state about £140,000 per game.
Amorim also claims that a sale would lead to a profit north of £279million for Rio.
However, those plans have sparked immense fury around considering the venue’s history and legacy.
The Maracana is also used by Brazilian giants Flamengo and Fluminense for their home matches.
The stadium currently holds a capacity of 78,838 after three renovations ever since it first opened its doors in 1950.
The first restructure took place in the 1999-2000 season as it was reduced from 173,850 to 103,000.
The second renovation took place between 2005 and 2007 where the capacity was lowered to 88,000.
And finally a decision was made to bring the amount of seats to their current number during works that lasted three years until 2013.
