National Stadium (East Timor)

The National Stadium of East Timor (Portuguese: Estádio Nacional de Timor-Leste, Tetum: Stadion 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.

• National Stadium of East Timor
• Municipal Stadium of Dili

Estádio Nacional de Timor-Leste Estádio Municipal de Díli  (Portuguese) Stadion Nasional Timor-Leste Estadiu Munisipal Díli  (Tetum)
Full name	National Stadium of East Timor (or Municipal Stadium of Dili)
Address	Avenida Xavier do Amaral [de] Dili, East Timor
Coordinates	8°33′29″S 125°34′50″E / 8.55806°S 125.58056°E / -8.55806; 125.58056Coordinates: 8°33′29″S 125°34′50″E / 8.55806°S 125.58056°E / -8.55806; 125.58056
Operator	Federação de Futebol de Timor-Leste
Capacity	5,000
Field size	105×68 m
Surface	Grass
Current use	Football
Construction
Renovated	1980
Expanded	2011
Tenants
Timor Leste national football team

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

History

 

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 had 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]}

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.^[12][13]

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.^[14]

Facilities

The stadium has a capacity of 5,000 people.^[15] During the 2010s, it 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.^[16]

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.^[17] 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 renovations.^[18]

The stadium has an athletics track,^[13] which has been used for training for the Summer Olympic Games.^[19] There are two grandstands on the Eastern and Western sides of the field.^[13] The main grandstand has a roof.^[20][21]

Due to problems with the stadium's infrastructure, the national football team must sometimes play its home games in other countries.^[22]

Major matches

Timor-Leste   v   Mongolia

12 March 2015	Timor-Leste	4–1	Mongolia
	Chiquito   4', 7' Rodrigo   84' Jairo Neto   85'	Report	Erkhembayar   87'	Attendance: 9,000 Referee: Sivakorn Pu-Udom (Thailand)

Timor-Leste   v   Saudi Arabia

17 November 2015 (2015-11-17)	Timor-Leste	0–10	Saudi Arabia
		Report (AFC)	Al-Sahlawi   29' (pen.), 42', 55' (pen.), 70', 89' Osama H.   34' Al-Shehri   35' Al-Jassim   85' Hazazi   90' Al-Muwallad   90+2'	Attendance: 2,000 Referee: Alan Milliner (Australia)

References

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 2020-05-22.
8. "CRISTIANO RONALDO NEWS: Video Ronaldo em Díli". cristianosantosronaldo.blogspot.com (in Portuguese). 20 June 2005. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
9. "Timor Leste and the cult of Cristiano Ronaldo". Tumblr. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
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. "Timor-Leste vs. Mongolia - Football Match Summary - March 12, 2015 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
13. 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.
14. "Cosgrove / Xanana Cup – Friendly Soccer Shield (20 September 2019, National Stadium, Dili)". Maritime Boundary Office. 28 July 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
15. "Estádio Nacional, Dili (Timor-Leste)". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
16. "Government inaugurates Municipal Stadium and Gymnasium". Government of Timor-Leste. 30 April 2012. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
17. "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.
18. 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.
19. Hodal, Kate (11 July 2012). "London 2012: Timor-Leste athletes do it for national pride". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
20. "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.
21. 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.
22. "Opponent Spotlight: Timor-Leste". Football Association of Singapore. 18 November 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2022.

External links

  Media related to National Stadium of East Timor at Wikimedia Commons