São Paulo – Consolação: Estádio do Pacaembu – Museu do Futebol
Image by wallyg
Museu do Futebol (Museum of Football), tucked under the bleachers of Estádio do Pacaembu, was inaugurated on September 29, 2008. The museum, built at a cost of R.5 million, leans heavily on multimedia displays over two floors and 6,900 square meters to tell the story of Brazilian football and how it relates to national and world history.
Room are divided into sections that display different elements of the football experience. Banners, flags, and photos of football greats such as Pelé, Rivelino, Gilmar, Romário, and others line the walls. A multimedia room features booths playing audio recordings of sports journalists such as Juca Kfouri, Daniel Piza, and Marcelo Tas announcing goals, and video recordings of great World Cup goals.
Estádio Municipal Paulo Machado de Carvalho, known commonly as Estádio do Pacaembu, was the home of the SC Corinthians Paulista of the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A football league from its inauguration on April 27, 1940 through the end of the 2012 season. The art deco stadium was initially built with a capacity of about 70,000–with a record attendance of 74,078 for a São Paulo 3 x 3 Corinthians match on May 24, 1942–but currently has 37,952 seats. Its official name, given in 1961, is in honor of Paulo Machado de Carvalho, the 1958 FIFA World Cup Brazilian delegation chief.
Pacaembu was one of the six playing venues of the 1950 FIFA World Cup, hosting three matches during the first group phase, and, together with Maracaña, another three during the final group phase. Its replacement, the 48,000-seat Arena Corinthians which will open in 2013, will host the opening game of the 2014 FIFA World Cup (with 20,000 additional seats). In addition to football matches, Pacaembu has hosted many concerts and is home to a covered gymnasium, a heated Olympic-sized pool, an indoor soccer court, and a complex of clay tennis courts.
