Arena Pantanal - World Cup 2014 Venue

Arena Pantanal in Cuiaba - a city in the exact centre of South America - is a new stadium which will host four matches during FIFA World Cup 2014. The stadium is complete and opened recently, with the obligatory boxnets at either end.




Arena Pantanal replaces Estadio Governador Jose Fragelli, nicknamed Verdao (and home to three clubs, including Mixto Esporte Clube).

In an effort to maintain links with the past, FIFA have nicknamed the new stadium Verdao, while championing its green (Verdao) credentials.

A better link to Cuiaba and Brazil's footballing past would have been for FIFA to maintain the traditional L-supports that once graced either end of the old stadium.

International Week Special - Romania v Australia

Far from this International friendly week's glittering fixtures of France v Germany, or England v Brazil, Romania beat Australia 3-2 in front of a couple of thousand spectators at Malaga Athletics stadium. What made the game so noteworthy was the goal nets - suspended from Continental D's.



Though FC Malaga train at the facility, the Atheltics stadium is obviously not a football stadium, hence the temporary all-in-one goal units that can be carried on and off the field as required. But all-in-one goal units are widely available in boxnet form. Did you see the recent footage of the goals in Brazil collapsing after a defender crashed into the net? When the defender pulls on the net, the whole goal collapses since the posts, bar, net, supports and ground support are all one entity.



So what's interesting about the goals in Wednesday's friendly international is Malaga's stadium management have a choice of which goals to use, and FIFA's Stadium Book is clear FIFA prefers boxnets, yet here are Romania and Australia, two international sides, shooting into a set of Continental D's?

Mexico today

Mexico still has enormous free-hanging box nets -

and so successful was FIFA's masterplan that a quarter century later, so does everybody else.