National Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Surulere area of Lagos , Nigeria . Includes an Olympic-size arena for swimming competitions, as well as a comprehensive arena for soccer, basketball, volleyball, rugby, table tennis, athletics, boxing and wrestling. It was the central stadium of the 1973 All-African Games , the final matches of the national football teams of the African Cup of 1980 and the African Cup of 2000 , the matches of the qualifying tournament of the World Cup were held here .
| National Stadium | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Open | 1972 |
| Capacity | 55,000 |
| Home team | Nigeria national team |
| Field dimensions | 105 m × 68 m |
History
The national stadium was built in the Surulere district in 1972 by decision of the Yakubu Govon military administration as the main arena of major international competitions planned in the city - the 1973 All-African Games in Lagos . In 1980, the stadium hosted the African Cup of Nations finals, while in the final match between the national teams of Nigeria and Algeria, an attendance record of 85 thousand people was recorded here.
In 1989, the stadium hosted the African Athletics Championships ; 308 athletes from 27 countries took part in the competition.
Initially, the stadium had a capacity of 55 thousand people, but after the reconstruction carried out in 1999, it began to accommodate 45 thousand. At this time, there were many matches of the World Cup among youth teams .
In 2000, the final of the African Cup of Nations was again held at the stadium. In the decisive match between the national teams of Nigeria and Cameroon, the stands were again completely filled with spectators.
Until 2004, the Nigeria national team held their matches on the field of the National Stadium in Lagos, but then the stadium was abandoned for unknown reasons and became desolate [1] [2] . From time to time, various cultural and religious events took place here, for some time the stadium constructions were captured by squatters and juvenile gangs of area boys [3] [4] . At the same time, the Nigerian team moved to the new National Stadium in Abuja, which opened in 2003.
In 2009, the Nigeria National Sports Commission decided to return the stadium to the status of a world-class sports arena [5] .
Notes
- ↑ 2004 LG Cup results (rsssf.com) . Date of treatment November 2, 2008.
- ↑ The abandoned National Stadium in Lagos (Editorial) (inaccessible link - history ) . The Guardian (Lagos) . Guardian Newspapers Limited, via nigeriaworld.com (November 9, 2006). Date of treatment February 13, 2008.
- ↑ Salami, Adekunle Squatters take over National Stadium . The Punch (Lagos) . Punch Nigeria Limited (January 2, 2008). Date of treatment February 13, 2008. Archived on September 16, 2011.
- ↑ Adingupu, Charles Hoodlums on Lagos highway (inaccessible link - history ) . The Guardian (Lagos) . Guardian Newspapers Limited, via nigeriaworld.com (March 4, 2007). Date of treatment February 13, 2008.
- ↑ NSC promises to refurbish Lagos National Stadium (inaccessible link - history ) . Guardian Newspapers Limited (12-23-2009).
Links
- Photos of the National Stadium in Lagos (Unavailable link) . Archived on September 30, 2012. on fussballtempel.net