It is the most famous football stadium in the countryFootball emperor Pele’s Brazil has always played in the national team and won the World Cup on the field. But in the same stadium echoed the cries of thousands of people. Many innocent lives were taken in an instant. Blood-soaked history was made in the stadium that was once converted into Brazil’s World Cup stage. The harrowing story of a soccer field turned massacre stage involves Chile’s Estadio Nacional ground.
In 1962, the World Cup was held in Chile. Pele was the main hope of the Brazilian team. He performed well against Mexico in the first game but got injured in the second game and ended his World Cup hopes. But Brazil reached the final without Pele. The Estadio is the largest stadium in ChileThe final was played at the National. Brazil beat Czechoslovakia 3-1 to win the World Cup that day. More than 68 thousand spectators sat in the stadium to enjoy the historic game.
The stadium was inaugurated in 1973 after just eleven years of football’s glorious history.‘La became a master of history. Chile had a left-wing government at the time, but the country’s people were angry with the government of President Salvador Allende. The Chilean army took this opportunity to launch military coups across the country. The President did not flee the country and is reported to have committed suicide. Martial law was imposed in Chile and left-wing political activities were suspended. The stadium also came under the control of the army and was converted into a prison instead of football.
According to official figures, 41 people were killed in the stadium. At least 20,000 political prisoners were held in that stadium for several days. There was severe physical and mental torture on the prisoners. According to various human rights groups, hundreds of people died there and their bodies were dumped in the streets or rivers as a result of brutal army brutality.
The stadium was also used for World Cup qualifiers. Chile was scheduled to play the Soviet Union just two months after the military coup. But the Soviet Union refused to play on this blood-red playing field. As a result, Chile cThey qualified for the 1974 World Cup. According to locals, the cries of the dead can still be heard in the stadium. One entrance to the stadium is currently dedicated to the memory of the dead. Thus, football returned to the ground where black history was made and now most of the games of the Chilean national team are played on this ground.