11:54 AM
He andAlfonso Lopez stadium, home of the Atlético Bucaramanga club that plays the final of the Colombian League against Independiente Santa Fe, will be renamed in the midst of the euphoria of his fans to see their team defining the title of the first half of 2024.
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In the departmental Assembly already there was a draft ordinance in process to change the name of the sports venue promoted by deputy Jonathan Duarte; however, after a survey conducted in the regional media Vanguardia in which fans participated widely, Governor Juvenal Díaz confirmed the name change of the stadium.
From now on Alfonso López will be called José Américo Montanini, in tribute to historical scorer of the leopard team, who scored 134 goals with the Santander club shirt.
The name of the Argentine nationalized Colombian who died in 2023, turned out to be the winner in the survey carried out by the media and in which the other option was Hermán “Cuca” Aceros, former Santander soccer player (died in 2018) who was part of the Colombian National Team that played in the 1962 World Cup in Chile. The winning name was also the one that the deputy had proposed.
“We are going to change it, we did the survey, I will have a government council and we will be reporting (…) we are going to do something that will make all Santander residents happy,” Governor Díaz told Noticias Caracol after the decision.
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The change will end more than 80 years of knowing the sports scene with the name of former president Alfonso López in the periods of 1934-1938 and 1942-1945. The name had been assigned after this former president visited the city to inaugurate some works, which is why the current ruler honored the then head of state by naming the stadium after him.
The now Américo Montanini has a capacity of 25,000 spectators.
The final will be seen in the stadium
In addition to the announcement of the name change, the governor also announced that Bucaramanga fans will be able to attend the stadium this Saturday to watch the League final there that the Santander club will play against Santa Fe at the El Campín stadium in Bogotá.
Six screens will be installed in the stadium to broadcast the match that will be played from 7:30 pm on June 15.
“We are going to establish entry to the stadium, with a ticket, but there will be no charge. We are thinking about an initiative (it has not been defined), it could be that people who want to bring a pound of rice, lentils, to give it to the people who need it most. The idea is to fill the stadium and have a party,” Díaz explained.
