The Estadio Monumental Banco Pichincha is a footballstadium in the parish (municipality) of Tarqui in northern Guayaquil, Ecuador. An aerial lift or cable car to connect the stadium with the "Aerovia" Julian Coronel station in downtown Guayaquil was scheduled to start in 2021. The stadium is the home to Ecuadorian football club Barcelona SC. It has a capacity of 59,283,[1] which makes it the largest stadium in Ecuador.
History
Club president Isidro Romero Carbo wanted Barcelona, at the time playing their home games at the Estadio Modelo Alberto Spencer Herrera, to have their own stadium.
The stadium was inaugurated on December 27, 1987. The first game was played against FC Barcelona of Spain, which Barcelona SC won 1-0. Barcelona invited many South American football celebrities, such as Pelé, to the inauguration; Pelé compared the stadium to the famous Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro:Шаблон:Citation neededШаблон:Cquote there is a golden plaque in the stadium celebrating this description.
There are healthcare facilities, clothing-and-souvenir shops, and restaurants, in a total area of about 5,100 m². The football field is 105 metres long and 70 metres wide. The training field near the stadium is called Alternate Field Sigifredo Agapito Chuchuca in honor of one of the greatest midfielders in team history.
The stadium hosted 5 matches of the 1993 Copa América, including the final.
On January 2, 2008, president of Barcelona Eduardo Maruri signed a 4-year contract with Ecuadorian bank Banco Pichincha to have the stadium named after the bank. The contract was renewed but came to an end in 2015.[2]
