Bafana Bafana to play at the sinking stadium?
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Reading Time: 2min | Wed. 13.05.26. | 22:57
Shocking reports have surfaced just under a month before the start of the World Cup
It’s sounds incredible, but according to the reports it looks like its possible – the stadium which will open this year’s World Cup is sinking. The iconic stadium in Mexico is in danger, if these reports are true, since a number of games should be played here, including the first one at the tournament. According to ‘The Star’, fans have been reporting that chunks of concrete have been breaking in the floor of the ground, which is where Diego Maradona scored his infamous 'Hand of God' goal against England in 1986. Fans have reportedly been taking sections of the stadium home as souvenirs, plunging the ground into crisis with less than 32 days to go until the start of the tournament.
The stadium in question is Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, which is home to the football club America, as well as the Mexico national team. The first damage to the stadium was apparently reported during the first leg of the Liga MX Clausura quarter-final between America and Pumas. The stadium can accommodate 875000 fans and is due to host five games at the tournament: three group stage matches, plus a round of 32 tie and one round of 16 game. Before the opening game between Mexico and South Africa, there will be also a ceremony which will last 90 minutes. So, what have the authorities done about these reports. As per Sun, NASA are monitoring the stadium live using powerful radar systems in space, with the NISAR satellite able to detect small changes in the surface of the earth via thick vegetation or cloud cover.
Marin Govorcin, a scientist at NASA's jet propulsion laboratory, said: “Mexico City is subsiding primarily due to pumping of groundwater from the aquifer below the city at a rate that far exceeds natural recharge from precipitation. As water is withdrawn the aquifer compacts under the weight of the city above it”. Apparently, some parts of the city are sinking around 1.7cm (half an inch) every month, which is the highest rate in the world.