Ruins and weeds are all that remain of Americano’s Godofredo Cruz | OneFootball

A decade after demolition, Americano’s old Godofredo Cruz in Campos lies overgrown and derelict, with a bricked-up entrance, a ticket booth and rubbish strewn around the Avenida 28 de Março site.

Globo.com reports that Godofredo Cruz opened in 1954 and was the interior’s third largest in Rio state. It once drew 22,853 for a 2-2 with Flamengo in the 1983 Taça de Ouro, and in 2002 a packed ground saw Americano win the Taça Guanabara by turning over Vasco.

After 2012 relegation in the Carioca, debts forced a deal, and then president César Gama said it saved the club. In 2013 the site was swapped with IMBEG for a new stadium and training centre in Guarus. Demolition finished in 2014, yet no new buildings have risen.

The Eduardo Augusto Viana da Silva training centre has been used since December 2015, with pitches, accommodation and a gym. A new ground is rising on the same site, but despite three stands in place there is no completion date.

The 2013 contract gave IMBEG 48 months plus 180 days to deliver, yet Americano still lack a home ground and plan to use Goytacaz’s Aryzão in Série A2. In March 2023 they sued for a 0.5% monthly penalty on R$ 5.6 million, about R$ 28,000, claiming roughly R$ 675,000 then. IMBEG cites extensions, Covid and a 2018 embargo, and Americano says April 2022 should be the limit. In February the club became a SAF and is seeking an out-of-court agreement.

Source: Globo.com