.jpg) The stadium in 2009 | |
| Full name | Aleppo International Stadium |
|---|---|
| Location | Salaheddine District, Aleppo, Syria |
| Coordinates | 36°11′06″N 37°07′04″E / 36.18500°N 37.11778°E / 36.18500; 37.11778 |
| Owner | Government of Syria |
| Operator | General Sports Federation of Syria |
| Capacity | 53,200 |
| Record attendance | 53,000 (Al-Ittihad v Fenerbahçe; 3 April 2007) |
| Field size | 105 x 68 m |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1980 to 2007 |
| Opened | 3 April 2007 |
| Closed | 2012 |
| Construction cost | US$ 30,000,000 |
| Architect | Stanisław Kuś |
| Tenants | |
| Al-Ittihad SC (2007–2012) Syria national football team (2007–2012) | |
The Aleppo International Stadium (Arabic: ملعب حلب الدولي) is an Olympic-standard, multi-use, all-covered and all-seater stadium in the Syrian city of Aleppo. It is the largest stadium in Syria, and is currently used mostly for football matches. It serves as the home ground of Al-Ittihad football club. The stadium has also hosted some home games of the Syrian national football team. The stadium was opened in 2007 and holds up to 53,200 spectators. The venue is located near the al-Hamadaniah Sports City in the southwestern part of Aleppo.
History
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The construction of the stadium was launched in 1980, based on the design of the Polish Constructor Stanislaw Kus. It was scheduled to be completed in 1987 to become ready for the Mediterranean games. However, the construction process was stopped and delayed for 2 decades due to financial difficulties, until 2003.
Finally, after a record period of 27 years of construction, the stadium became ready in early 2007. Officially, the stadium was opened on 3 April 2007 with an inaugural friendly match between Al-Ittihad SC and Fenerbahçe of Turkey which ended in a 2–2 draw. The first goal scored in the stadium came at the 8th minute of the inaugural match, through Abdul Fattah Al Agha. The Syrian president Bashar Al Assad and Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended the opening ceremony and the match.
Civil war
It was severely damaged during the Syrian Civil War. Its facade and many of its indoor facilities were completely destroyed, and the pitch and tribunes took significant damage, especially from mortar fire.
The Syrian government started the process of repairing the stadium after the conclusion of the Battle of Aleppo (2012–2016). Iran has assisted Syria with repairs.
Facts
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The stadium has five levels: the first level is the sport ground itself, with its surrounding facilities, the second level consists of training halls, different facilities and support services. The rest three levels are designed to host the attendants' seats; the first tier holds up to 25,000 seats while the second and the third host 14,000 each. The VIP hall located on the third level, is designed and decorated with oriental wood-works.
The stadium occupies an area of 3.5 hectares out of the 33 hectares of the whole sports complex. It is provided with two electronic screens (7X15 meters each). The stadium is all-covered with a pre-built concrete.
Notable matches
Opening match
Al-Ittihad v 
Fenerbahçe
| 3 April 2007 Friendly match | Al-Ittihad | 2–2 | Fenerbahçe | |
| 21:00 UTC+2 | Report | Attendance: 53,000 |
AFC club play-off matches
2010 AFC Cup
Al-Ittihad v 
Kazma
| 15 September 2010 Quarterfinals first leg | Al-Ittihad | 3–2 | Kazma | |
| 20:00 (UTC+3) | Dakka  45' (pen.)Al Ghabash 62'Shahrour 90' |
Report | Aldafeeri 73' Laheeb 90+4' |
Attendance: 34,400 Referee: Mohamed Al Zarouni (United Arab Emirates) |
Al-Ittihad v 
Muangthong United
| 19 October 2010 Semifinals second leg | Al-Ittihad | 2 – 0 | Muangthong United | |
| 20:00 (UTC+3) | Al Hasan 27', 41' |
Report | Attendance: 48,000 Referee: Hiroyoshi Takayama (Japan) |
Syria national football team matches
Syria v 
China
| 14 January 2009 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification | Syria | 3–2 | China | |
| 14:00 UTC+2 | Attendance: 7,000 Referee: Mohsen Torky (Iran) |
Syria v 
Qatar
| 21 March 2009 Friendly | Syria | 1–2 | Qatar | |
|
|
Syria v 
Vietnam
| 18 November 2009 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification | Syria | 0–0 | Vietnam | |
| Attendance: 19,000 Referee: Abdullah Al Hilali (Oman) |
See also
References
- World Stadiums - Stadiums in Syria Archived 2017-07-15 at the Wayback Machine
- alwehda.gov.sy - المنشآت الرياضية في محافظة حلب Archived 2018-10-19 at the Wayback Machine
- Rizvi, Ahmed (20 July 2015). "Football in times of crisis: Syrian game continues on as inspiration, propaganda, shadow". thenationalnews.com. The National News Sport. Archived from the original on 22 May 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- Sports facilities in Aleppo Archived 2018-04-13 at the Wayback Machine
- Özlem Tür (2016). Turkey-Syria Relations: Between Enmity and Amity. Routledge. p. 81. ISBN 9781317005957.
- ^ Голованов, Евгений. "В Сирии восстанавливают разрушенные боевиками спортивные объекты". НТВ. Retrieved 2018-06-26.
- "تأهيل استاد حلب الدولي على مرحلتين بتوجيه من رئيس الحكومة و صيانة صالة الأسد في عهدة لجنة الإعمار المركزية | الجماهير". jamahir.alwehda.gov.sy (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2019-08-17. Retrieved 2018-06-26.
- "دراسة إعادة تأهيله أصبحت في مقدمة الأولويات .. افتتاح استاد حلب الدولي بتعاون سوري إيراني .. ولقاء استثنائي بين الاتحاد والحرية | الجماهير". jamahir.alwehda.gov.sy (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2019-02-22. Retrieved 2018-06-26.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-04-13. Retrieved 2018-07-07.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)