National Stadium (East Timor)

  • National Stadium of East Timor
  • Municipal Stadium of Dili
    • Estádio Nacional de Timor-Leste
    • Estádio Municipal de Díli
     (Portuguese)
    • Estadiu Nasional Timor-Leste
    • Estadiu Munisipal Díli
     (Tetum)
Map
Full name
  • National Stadium of East Timor
  • (or Municipal Stadium of Dili)
AddressAvenida Xavier do Amaral [de]
Dili, East Timor
Coordinates8°33′29″S 125°34′50″E / 8.55806°S 125.58056°E / -8.55806; 125.58056
OperatorFederação de Futebol de Timor-Leste
Capacity13,000
Field size105×68 m
SurfaceGrass
Current useFootball
Construction
Renovated1980
Expanded2011
Tenants
Timor Leste national football team

The National Stadium of East Timor (Portuguese: Estádio Nacional de Timor-Leste, Tetum: Estadiu Nasional Timor Lorosa'e), also known as the Municipal Stadium of Dili (Portuguese: Estádio Municipal de Díli, Tetum: Estadiu Munisipal Díli), is a multi-purpose stadium in Dili, East Timor.

The stadium has a capacity of 5,000 and is used mostly for football matches.

History

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Soccer game between Timor-Leste's U-17 National team and U.S. Navy

In 1999-2000, during the 1999 East Timorese crisis and its aftermath, the stadium was used as a makeshift refugee camp and emergency relief distribution point.[1][2][3]

On 21 December 1999, the stadium hosted the Tour of Duty – Concert for the Troops, featuring Kylie Minogue and John Farnham, for the Australian troops serving with the International Force for East Timor (INTERFET).[4][5][6]

Since 2004, the stadium has been home to the finals of the Super Liga Timorense, the Taça Digicel, and, more recently, the Taça 12 de Novembro and the Liga Futebol Amadora / Timor-Leste.

In 2005, world-renowned soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo visited Dili stadium and posed for a picture with the President, Xanana Gusmão.[7][8][9][10]

In 2006, the stadium once again housed a refugee camp, for over 1,000 displaced people.[11]

A tournament held between East Timorese national teams, a UN Police team and Australian and New Zealand combined teams was held in May 2007.[citation needed]

During the 2010s, the stadium was renovated in two separate projects, commenced in 2011 and 2016, respectively. The 2011 renovations were inaugurated in April 2012 by the then Prime Minister of East Timor, Xanana Gusmão.[12]

On 12 March 2015, the stadium hosted the first international home match of the Timor-Leste national football team in the first round 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification against Mongolia with Timor winning 4–1.[13][14]

The 2016 renovations were valued at US$1.64 million, and included the renovation of the grandstand, construction of bathrooms, electricity rooms, and lighting poles, and adding seats to the grandstand. As of mid-2019, those renovations had not yet been completed.[15]

On 20 September 2019, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the formation of INTERFET task force, friendly football matches were played at the stadium between teams of Falintil and Interfet veterans, and between the Timor-Leste national team and an Australian Defence Force team.[16]

In February 2021, the Board of Directors of the Infrastructure Fund (Portuguese: Conselho da Administração do Fundo das Infraestruturas (CAFI)) approved an additional budget of more than US$300,000 to complete the 2016 renovations.[17]

On 13 June 2022, the Minister of Justice, Tiago Amaral Sarmento, met with the East Timor Football Federation (FFTL), as representative of the International Association Football Federation (FIFA), and handed over documentation assigning the site of the stadium, including land known as Kampo Demokrasia, to the FFTL. The assignment, for a price to be agreed later, was made in connection with a long term contract between the parties, under which the stadium and other football fields in East Timor would be brought up to international standards, at FIFA's expense.[18][19]

Just under a year later, on 8 June 2023, the Secretary of State for Youth and Sport, Abrão Saldanha [de], announced that FIFA had agreed to build two international standard football stadiums in East Timor, one of them at the National Stadium, and the other at the Xanana Sports Center. He also said that the two stadium designs had been finalised and analysed by a FIFA technical team, and that after data verification was complete, FIFA would call tenders for construction.[20]

Facilities

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The stadium has an athletics track,[14] which has been used for training for the Summer Olympic Games.[21] There are two grandstands on the Eastern and Western sides of the field;[14] the main grandstand has a roof.[22][23] Total capacity of the stadium is 5,000 people.[24]

Due to problems with the stadium's infrastructure, the national football team must sometimes play its home games in other countries.[25] For example, in the first rounds of the 2026 FIFA World Cup AFC qualification and 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification (which double up as each other), Timor-Leste played both its home and way games at the National Stadium in Kaohsiung, Taiwan rather than the home game being played domestically.

Major matches

[edit]
12 March 2015 East Timor  4–1  Mongolia  
Chiquito 4', 7'
Rodrigo 84'
Jairo Neto 85'		 Report Erkhembayar 87' Attendance: 9,000
Referee: Sivakorn Pu-Udom (Thailand)
17 November 2015 (2015-11-17) East Timor  0–10  Saudi Arabia  
Report (FIFA)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: Alan Milliner (Australia)

References

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  1. ^ Murdoch, Lindsay (21 September 2021). "From the Archives, 1999: Australian peacekeepers secure Dili". The Age. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  2. ^ "East Timorese refugees, including crying children, wait at a makeshift camp at Dili stadium after ..." Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  3. ^ "A birds eye view of the Dili Stadium where 18 members of a platoon from Charlie Company, 5/7th ..." Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  4. ^ "Kylie Minogue sings for East Timor". Independent Online. Sapa - AFP. 21 December 1999. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  5. ^ "Tour of Duty information and Set list". John Farnham Official Website. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  6. ^ Butler, Johanna (September 2019). "Did you know?". Control: Stories of Australian peacekeeping and humanitarian operations. Century of Service. Brisbane: Australian Government - Department of Veterans' Affairs. ISBN 9780648282464. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  7. ^ "Timor-Leste emociona Cristiano Ronaldo". PÚBLICO (in Portuguese). 19 June 2005. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  8. ^ "CRISTIANO RONALDO NEWS: Video Ronaldo em Díli". cristianosantosronaldo.blogspot.com (in Portuguese). 20 June 2005. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  9. ^ "Timor Leste and the cult of Cristiano Ronaldo". Tumblr. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  10. ^ Neves, João Pedro (11 October 2021). "A visita de Cristiano Ronaldo a um país recém-independente" [Cristiano Ronaldo's visit to a newly independent country]. Ludopédio (in Portuguese). Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  11. ^ Pagonis, Jennifer (13 June 2006). "Timor-Leste: First phase of emergency relief operation completed". UNHCR. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  12. ^ "Government inaugurates Municipal Stadium and Gymnasium". Government of Timor-Leste. 30 April 2012. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  13. ^ "Timor-Leste vs. Mongolia - Football Match Summary - March 12, 2015 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  14. ^ a b c Williams, Aidan (27 June 2018). "The road to Moscow: how Mongolia and Timor-Leste kicked off a 936-game odyssey to Russia". These Football Times. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  15. ^ "Treinador da seleção timorense lamenta atrasos nas obras do estádio de Díli" [Timorese national team coach regrets delays in Dili stadium works]. SAPO Desporto (in Portuguese). Sportinforma / Lusa. 13 June 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  16. ^ "Cosgrove / Xanana Cup – Friendly Soccer Shield (20 September 2019, National Stadium, Dili)". Maritime Boundary Office. 28 July 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  17. ^ Freitas, Domingos Piedade (11 February 2021). "CAFI aprova mais de 300 mil dólares para dar continuidade à construção do estádio de Díli" [CAFI approves more than US$300,000 to continue the construction of the Dili stadium] (in Portuguese). Tatoli. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  18. ^ "Ministru Justisa reuniaun ho Sekretariu Estadu Juventude e Desportu no Prezidente Federasaun Football Timor-Leste deskuti assuntu arrendamentu ba Estadium Munisipal Dili no atribusaun Kampu Demokrasia ba Federasaun Futeball Timor-Leste" [The Minister of Justice met with the Secretary of State for Youth and Sports and the President of the Football Federation of Timor-Leste to discuss the issue of the renovation of the Dili Municipal Stadium and the award of Kampo Demokrasia for the Federation of Football of Timor-Leste.]. Ministry of Justice (East Timor) (in Tetum). 13 June 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  19. ^ Isaac, Carmelita (13 June 2022). "Governu TL Atribui Direitu Konsensaun Rai ba FFTL Atu Padroniza Estádiu Futeból" [The Government of Timor-Leste granted the right to land concession to the FFTL to standardise the Football Stadium.]. Hatutan.com. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  20. ^ Sousa, Camilio de (8 June 2023). "FIFA will construct two Soccer fields with the international standard in Timor - Leste". Tatoli. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  21. ^ Hodal, Kate (11 July 2012). "London 2012: Timor-Leste athletes do it for national pride". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  22. ^ "PM Xanana Inagura Stadium Municipal" [PM Xanana Inaugurates Municipal Stadium]. Radio Liberdade Dili - FM 95.8 MHz (in Tetum). 30 April 2012. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  23. ^ Witono, Agus Dwi (20 August 2017). "4 Fakta Menarik Sepakbola Timor Leste" [4 Interesting Facts about Timor Leste Football]. INDOSPORT.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  24. ^ "Estádio Nacional, Dili (Timor-Leste)". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  25. ^ "Opponent Spotlight: Timor-Leste". Football Association of Singapore. 18 November 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
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