Castelão, football stadium
Castelão is a football stadium in São Luís with a rectangular green pitch marked by white lines and a centre circle. A red running track bordered by a low grey wall surrounds the pitch, and tiered stands rise behind it: blue seats at one end, alternating yellow and red bands along the sides, and curved orange plastic seats in the foreground, some bearing small dark circular logos. A flat grey roof spans the top of the stands.
Castelão was completed in 1982 and inaugurated on 1 May of that year with a match between Maranhão and Sampaio Corrêa. Four days later Brazil beat Portugal 3–1 there, with Zico among the scorers. Its formal name honours João Castelo Ribeiro Gonçalves, governor of Maranhão from 1979 to 1982. Closed in 2004 after structural cracks appeared, it reopened on 12 September 2012 after a renovation that cut capacity to 40,000.
The ground has multiple pedestrian entrances and is usually easy to reach on match days with ample parking nearby. Visitors should arrive early as seating fills up quickly, especially for large matches.
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