The administrators of the legendary Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro announced this Monday that they will install a new grass that will mix natural grass with synthetic fibers, after the criticism suffered this season by the poor state of the pitch.
The installation process of the new Rio temple mat will start this month, when the 2021 football season ends, and will last for about 90 days until its conclusion. “It is a necessary intervention whose main factors were the volume of matches played in the stadium and also the climatic interference”, said in a note the chief executive of Maracanã, Severiano Braga.
The estimated value of the works is four million reais (about $ 700,000) and the forecast is that the Maracaná will be ready for the semifinals of the Carioca Championship in 2022.
The new lawn will combine “100% natural” grass with synthetic “polyethylene” fibers., which will be injected 18 centimeters deep and will protrude two centimeters above the surface of the field, in order to guarantee their “consistency” throughout the season. Then the synthetic threads and natural grass will be “sewn” using special equipment.
“This system ensures an always uniform surface, it is more efficient and resistant to trampling, sustains more hours of play per year than the classical surface “and” it is the same that most European stadiums have been adopting, “defended the administrators.
The Maracanã lawn, home of the Flamengo and the Fluminense, has suffered criticism for its poor condition over the last year and has already undergone a reform this season days before hosting the final of the 2021 America’s Cup between Argentina and Brazil, last July.
The stadium, one of the most famous in the world, He turned 70 years old last year and became one of the most privileged witnesses in the history of football., as it has been the scene of the 1950 World Cup finals – the Uruguayan ‘Maracanazo’ – and 2014, and Pelé’s thousandth goal, in 1969.
It also hosted the 2007 Pan American Games and the opening of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, as well as concerts by world-renowned artists and groups such as Frank Sinatra, Madonna, Paul McCartney and The Rolling Stones.
