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José Amalfitani Stadium

Estadio José Amalfitani
El Fortín
Aerial view
Full name	José Amalfitani Stadium
Location	Avenida Juan B. Justo, 8900, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Coordinates	34°38′7.35″S 58°31′14.56″W / 34.6353750°S 58.5207111°W / -34.6353750; -58.5207111
Owner	C.A. Vélez Sarsfield
Capacity	49,540
Field size	105 x 70 m
Surface	Grass
Scoreboard	Yes
Construction
Built	1947-51
Opened	April 22, 1951; 73 years ago (1951-04-22)
Expanded	1978
Tenants
List Football: Vélez Sarsfield (1951–present) Rugby: Argentina rugby team (1986–present) San Isidro Club (1987) Banco Nación (1990) Jaguares (2015–2020)
Website
velez.com.ar/club/estadio

The José Amalfitani Stadium (also known as El Fortín de Liniers or Estadio Vélez Sarsfield) is a football stadium located in the Liniers neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, near Liniers railway station. The venue is the home of the Argentine Primera División club Vélez Sarsfield. The stadium was named after José Amalfitani, who was president of Vélez Sarsfield for 30 years.

The original, temporary stadium was built between 1941 and 1943 in wood, and the current facility was built in cement between 1947 and 1951. It was renovated and enlarged 26 years later in preparation for the 1978 FIFA World Cup. The stadium has a capacity of 49,540 spectators, although it does not provide seating for all of them like most Argentine stadia.

The Estadio José Amalfitani is also the national stadium for the Argentina national rugby union team (Los Pumas). Although the team plays test matches throughout the country, their highest-profile tests (such as against the New Zealand All Blacks) are usually held here. The Jaguares, a team that participated in the Super Rugby league from 2016 to 2020, played its home games at the stadium.

History

Predecessors

During its first years of existence, Vélez Sarsfield football team played its games in vacant lands of the neighborhood, with removable goal posts. In 1913 the Argentine Football Association ordered the club to host its home games at a bigger stadium so the club moved to the Juan Martín Figallo's (a neighbor) country house on Rodó and Escalada streets. Figallo rented the club part of his land.

In 1914, the club called an assembly to discuss the possibility to rent lands on better places. The club got a land behind Villa Luro station, between Cortina and Bacacay streets. But the definitive stadium would be built in 1922, when the club rented a land to López Bancalari Brothers on Guardia Nacional street. The club started to build a grandstand while the team continued playing in Villa Luro and other fields, until the construction finished. Works were ready in 1924, when the club inaugurated its first stadium with a grandstand, lockers, coffee shop, personnel room and secretary. The stadium was officially opened in a friendly match v River Plate.

New grandstands were built between 1926 and 1927, completing the four sides of the stadium and therefore increasing its capacity. In 1935, the first match with artificial lighting was played at Vélez Sarsfield venue. The local team defeated Platense 4–2. The end of an era came in 1940 when the club was intimated to leave the lands where the stadium was located due to the rental contract had expired.

Current venue

After suffering relegation from the Argentine Primera División in 1940, Vélez was sacked from the Villa Luro ground they were renting. Three years later, in 1941, the club obtained the terrain of the current stadium, property of the Buenos Aires Western Railway. The ground was a swamp of the Maldonado Stream, where construction was difficult. However, the club's president José Amalfitani led the construction of the first stadium at the site, which was inaugurated on April 11, 1943. The new stadium used the same wood stands from the old Villa Luro stadium, and was inaugurated in a 2–2 draw with River Plate. Vélez striker Juan José Ferraro scored the first goal in the stadium's history (the others were scored by Ángel Fernández for Vélez and Adolfo Pedernera twice for River). The current stadium was inaugurated on April 22, 1951.

The stadium was renamed in honor of José Amalfitani on December 7, 1968. The following year, a modern lighting system by Siemens was installed, and the first of the upper stand sections was completed.

José Amalfitani Stadium was the first venue in South America with a lighting system, inaugurated in 1928. After the stadium was inaugurated, one of the members of Vélez Sarsfield executive committee, Raùl D'Onofrio (father of then president of River Plate Rodolfo D'Onofrio), came up with the idea of bring the lighting system used in baseball stadiums in the US that had impressed him. Nevertheless, the club later would sign an agreement with Germany-based company Siemens to be is supplier. José Amalfitani Stadium inaugurated its lighting system in 1969 in a match vs Brazilian Santos FC

Vélez Sarsfield drew an average home attendance of 41,646 in the 2024 Argentine Primera División.

Events hosted

Football

1978 FIFA World Cup

The stadium was refurbished for the 1978 FIFA World Cup with the completion of press boxes and another section of upper stands, and hosted three games in the group stages.

Date	Round	Group	Team 1	Vs.	Team 2
June 3	1	3	Austria	2–1	Spain
June 7				1–0	Sweden
June 11			Spain	1–0

Argentina friendly matches

Date	Rival	Res.
22 April 1974	Romania	2-1
5 May 1982	Bulgaria	2-1
23 June 1983	Chile	1-0
25 September 1984	Mexico	1-1
16 December 1987	Germany	1-0
13 March 1991	Mexico	0-0
27 March 1991	Brazil	3-3
21 December 1994	Romania	1-0
10 March 1998	Bulgaria	2-0

Rugby union

The José Amalfitani Stadium is the current home ground for the Jaguares, an Argentine Super Rugby franchise. The ground has also hosted the Argentina national team (Los Pumas) since 1986, when the side left to play at Ferro Carril Oeste Stadium (their home venue by then) searching for higher capacity stadiums.

When South Africa played Argentina in November 2005 at Vélez Sarsfield, they faced a strong Pumas side, which took a 20–16 lead into the half-time break, before fading in the second half and losing 34–23.

In the 2006 mid-year tests, the second test against Wales, saw the Pumas win 45–27, Argentina's largest win ever over Wales. The national squad next hosted the world's top team, the All Blacks. The New Zealanders survived an Argentine assault in the final minutes to hang on to win 25–19 and to deny Argentina a huge upset.

Los Pumas began their final preparation for the 2007 World Cup with a summer two-test series against visiting Ireland, including a 16–0 win at Vélez Sarsfield.

Argentina test matches

Date	Rival	Res.	Score
31 May 1986	France	won	15–13
7 June 1986	France	lost	9–22
18 June 1988	France	lost	15–18
25 June 1988	France	won	18–6
31 October 1987	Australia	tie	19–19
7 November 1987	Australia	won	27–19
24 June 1989	Italy	won	21–16
28 July 1990	England	won	15–13
4 August 1990	England	lost	12–25
6 July 1991	New Zealand	lost	14–28
13 July 1991	New Zealand	lost	6–36
4 July 1992	France	lost	12–27
11 July 1992	France	lost	9–33
13 June 1998	France	lost	18–35
20 June 1998	France	lost	12–37
15 June 2002	France	won	28–27
22 June 2002	England	lost	18–26
14 June 2003	France	won	10–6
20 June 2003	France	won	33–32
4 December 2004	South Africa	lost	7–39
5 November 2005	South Africa	lost	23–34
17 June 2006	Wales	won	45–27
24 June 2006	New Zealand	lost	19–25
2 June 2007	Ireland	won	16–0
14 June 2008	Scotland	lost	14–26
26 June 2010	France	won	41–13
15 June 2013	England	lost	26–51
15 August 2015	South Africa	lost	12–26
1 October 2016	New Zealand	lost	17–36
30 September 2017	New Zealand	lost	10–36
29 September 2018	New Zealand	lost	17–35
21 July 2019	New Zealand	lost	16–20

Club matches

Date	Team	Score	Rival	Ref.
14 Jul 1990	Banco Nación	29–21	England
10 Oct 1987	San Isidro Club	22–22	Australia

Concerts

The stadium has hosted many international concerts since the 1980s. English rock band Queen was the first to perform at Vélez Sarsfield –giving three concerts in February 1981– as part of The Game Tour to support their successful homonymous album. The visit of the band (which was at the peak of their career by then) had huge repercussions in Argentina, being widely covered by the media, and famous personalities –such as Diego Maradona– attending to their concerts.

José Amalfitani Stadium hosts events of up to 50,000 spectators.

See also

• List of football stadiums in Argentina
• List of association football stadiums by capacity
• Lists of stadiums

Notes

1. ^ Only used the venue during their matches v foreign national teams that were touring Argentina.

References

1. ^ "Estadio José Amalfitani" (in Spanish). Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
2. Historia on UAR
3. ^ Memoria y Balance 1987 at UAR
4. ^ Memoria y Balance 1990 at UAR
5. "ESTADIO JOSÉ AMALFITANI". Soccerway. Global Sports Media. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
6. Daniel Guiñazú (2010-01-02). "Cien años de un club que se hizo grande". Página/12 (in Spanish). Retrieved 2010-10-16.
7. Rodolfo D'Onofrio, ex presidente de River, confirmó que se meterá en la política on TyC, 9 Aug 2022
8. Estadio on C.A. Vèlez Sarsfield
9. De Liniers a Salta, de Pelé a Maradona by Facundo Soukoyan on Página/12 – 2 Jan 2022
10. El rey en nuestra casa on C.A. Vèlez Sarsfield
11. Vélez, con camiseta nueva y varios cambios on Clarín, 11 Apr 2016
12. "Estadio José Amalfitani". The Stadium Guide.
13. "Argentina 16–0 Ireland". BBC. 2 June 2007. Archived from the original on 5 July 2007. Retrieved 2 June 2007.
14. Cuando un club venció a una potencia del rugby mundial on La Nación, 12 Jul 2020
15. La leyenda de Queen en Argentina, Rolling Stone, 5 Nov 2008
16. Los agitados días de Queen en la Argentina by Matías Bauzo on Infobae, 17 Nov 2018
17. La historia detrás de la foto by Pablo Lisotto, La Nación, 30 Oct 2018

External links

• Official website

v t e 2024 Primera División venues
15 de Abril Alfredo Terrera Bautista Gargantini La Bombonera El Cilindro Ciudad de Lanús Ciudad de Vicente López Claudio "Chiqui" Tapia Diego Maradona Eva Perón Feliciano Gambarte Florencio Sola Gigante de Arroyito Guillermo Laza Jorge Luis Hirschi José Amalfitani José Dellagiovanna Juan Carmelo Zerillo Julio C. Villagra Libertadores de América Malvinas Argentinas Marcelo Bielsa Mario Kempes Mâs Monumental Monumental José Fierro Norberto Tomaghello Pedro Bidegain Juan Domingo Perón Tomás Adolfo Ducó Único Madre de Ciudades

• Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield
• Sports venues completed in 1951
• Football venues in Buenos Aires
• Argentina national rugby union team
• Rugby union stadiums in Argentina
• Copa América stadiums
• Music venues in Argentina