# El Cilindro

El Cilindro (Spanish pronunciation:, lit. 'The Cylinder'), officially known as President Perón Stadium (Spanish: Estadio Presidente Perón, Spanish pronunciation:), is an association football stadium in Avellaneda, Argentina. It is the home of Racing Club.
Inaugurated in 1950 on the site of the former Alsina y Colón Stadium, it was designed by engineers from GEOPÉ, the local branch of the German company Philipp Holzmann, which had experience in rebuilding cities destroyed during World War II. Its official name honors President Juan Perón, who facilitated funding for its expansion through then-Minister of Finance Ramón Cereijo. Despite this, its distinctive cylindrical structure earned it the nickname "El Cilindro" (lit. 'The Cylinder') and, occasionally, "El Coliseo" (lit. 'The Coliseum').
It has a capacity of 55,880 spectators, making it one of the largest in Argentina. Originally, it could hold 120,000 people and regularly hosted major finals and other important matches. In the 1990s, its capacity was reduced to 67,389 after seating was added to the upper stands, and further safety regulations from the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and Buenos Aires Province brought it down to its current capacity. It was also the first stadium in Argentina to have all its seating areas fully covered.

## History

The first project to build this stadium started in 1944, with the purpose of improving club facilities. A special committee was created to acquire 30,000 m$^2$ that were owned by railway companies (British-owned by then). President of Argentina, Juan Perón suggested to build it in Retiro neighborhood, near Buenos Aires downtown. Racing executives decided to stay in Avellaneda.
Works began in 1946. The Government of Argentina lent Racing Club money to finance the construction. In gratitude, the club executives named Juan Perón honorary president of Racing. The driving force behind this funding was Argentina's Minister of Finance, Ramón Cereijo, a passionate supporter of Racing.
On 1 December 1946, Racing played its last match in the old stadium, vs Rosario Central (a 4–6 defeat). The old stadium was demolished while the new venue was inaugurated on 3 September 1950, when Racing beat Vélez Sársfield 1–0. Llamil Simes scored the only goal.
In 1951 the Presidente Perón stadium was one of the venues for the Pan American Games held in Argentina that year. All football matches of the competition were held there. In 1966, the club placed light towers. To celebrate that, the club invited FC Bayern Munich (which brought to Argentina some of its most notable players such as Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Muller and Sepp Maier) to play a match in the stadium, which was won by Racing 3–2.
At international club level, Racing played significant matches in Estadio Presidente Perón, such as the 1967 Copa Libertadores final v Club Nacional de Football and the 1967 Intercontinental Cup final v European champion Celtic FC. At domestic competitions level, Racing was the venue for the 1969 Argentine Primera División final between Chacarita Juniors and River Plate, and the 1976 final where Boca Juniors beat River Plate 1–0 with the "ghost goal" by Rubén Suñé.
In 1993, the Municipality of Avellaneda gave its approval to change the name of Cuyo, one of the streets that surround the stadium. The name changed to Oreste Corbatta to honour a player who is regarded as the greatest idol in the history of Racing.

## Concerts

The stadium has hosted some national and international concerts since the late 1990s. Some of the artists to have played at the stadium are Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota (1998, with a record attendance of 45,000), Rammstein (on 27 November 2010, att: 40,000), Judas Priest and Whitesnake together (18 Sep 2011, att: 35,000), Viejas Locas (14 Jul 2012),La Renga (6 Jan 2024) and Wos (20 April 2024).