Waiting for another Liguilla, the José María Morelos y Pavón Stadium celebrates its 36th anniversary this Wednesday. Home of Atlético Morelia, the team will look to celebrate with a victory for its Canary Islanders, despite a difficult season in the Liga de Expansión MX. Its history holds glorious and unforgettable pages, such as its first goal celebration, led by the Canary Islander and Chilean-born forward Juan Ángel Bustos, in the inaugural match in which Morelia defeated América 2-1, on April 9, 1989.
Although the official capacity was 45,000 spectators, it is estimated that more than 52,000 people entered the stadium due to the huge overcrowding that occurred, with the stadium’s aisles and stairwells packed with standing ovations. The anguish of Doña Cholita and the jubilation of the tireless Semillas (Marcos Amado Castro) are etched in its stands; the shadow of Álvaro Romero El Mago’s spectacular hat can still be seen on the field; its halls vibrate with the chants of the Locura 81, but above all with the iconic cheers: Al empate Morelia; Morelia… Morelia and the incomparable Pica Canario Pica and the classic known as La Uno.
A building that went from solitude to hope in 2020, not only because of the absence of fans due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also because of one of the many events that darken the history of Mexican soccer: the move of the then Monarcas Morelia franchise to the port of Mazatlán. The Estadio Morelos, the scene of historic goals, unforgettable league matches, and the much-missed Copa Libertadores; A FIFA World Youth Championship, but also a series of pitched battles, bans for indiscipline in the stands, and a move that is difficult to digest, celebrates its thirty-sixth anniversary in Mexican soccer.
One of the few scorpion goals in history was scored in this stadium on April 11, 2009, by Michoacan native Luis Angel Landin. Curiously, this goal came just as the twentieth anniversary of the stadium’s inauguration was being celebrated. In its little over three decades, its facilities have felt the ravages of age, especially on its pitch, which seems to be moving further and further away from its nickname, which once made it known as one of the best in our country, despite waiting for the return of the great teams of the top circuit and, why not, some from other parts of the world.
The Coloso del Quinceo hopes fans will respond to the board’s invitation, after announcing free admission for girls, boys, students, and seniors, to the visit of Cancún FC, a vital match for the Michoacán team’s aspirations in the fight for a ticket to the top flight of Mexican soccer’s silver circuit.
Source: quadratin
