Acoustic model of the MRV Arena muffles screams from rival fans – 08/04/2023 – Sport

Those responsible for building Arena MRV, Atlético-MG’s stadium in Belo Horizonte, promise a tough life for the opposing fans in matches against the Minas Gerais team.

The acoustic design of the arena, according to architect Bernardo Farkasvolgyi, who designed the stadium, muffles the screams of rival fans and even makes them hear only the screams of the Atletica fans.

“The idea is that the opposing fans only hear Atlético singing,” said Farkasvolgyi.

The forecast is that the bill that will enable the inauguration of the arena will be voted in a second round by the City Council in the third week of August, that is, between the 14th and 18th.

The matches of the Minas Gerais team at home on dates close to these are against Bahia, on the 13th, and against Santos, on the 26th, both for the Brazilian Championship.

In the Copa Libertadores, for the round of 16, Atlético will try to stay in the competition next Wednesday (9), against Palmeiras, who will play at home. Last Wednesday (2), the alvinegro team was defeated by 1-0 at Mineirão, accumulating the tenth match without a victory.

In a test event, netizens pointed out a blind spot in the stadium, which is denied by the club.

the arena

The stadium cost R$750 million. The road works around the arena, also in charge of Atlético, cost BRL 250 million, totaling an investment of BRL 1 billion (the club is in a delicate financial situation, with a debt of BRL 1.6 billion, according to a survey on the website Goal) . The stadium has a capacity for 46,000 people and can also be used for concerts.

The lawn, in case of shows, holds 20,000 people. As part of the bleachers are located behind the stage, the total capacity for concerts will be approximately 60,000 people.

The arena has 42 restrooms, all adapted for people with disabilities. The stadium has an area for autistic people with companions to watch the games.

There are also 45 bars and a restaurant. There are 2,420 spaces for vehicles.

The external area can be used for fairs and similar events. Shows, however, are not allowed in this space.

cauldron and mandinga

“What were we asked for? A cauldron,” Farkasvolgyi said. For this to happen, the field was placed as close as possible to the crowd, within Fifa (International Football Federation) rules.

The distance between the stands and the field on the sides is eight meters. Behind the goals, it rises to ten metres. “It is the minimum required by FIFA”, stated the architect.

The acoustic project of the stadium also promises to help in the pressure against opponents. According to Farkasvolgyi, in the part of the bleachers that will be destined to the opposing supporters, a system was adopted that promises to minimize rival singing.

The explanation is as follows: sound waves rise. The screams of the fans, therefore, go to the ceiling.
And that’s where, according to the architect, lies the secret. “There is a glass wool that, depending on the volume at which it is used, together with the components for building the ceiling, returns or holds the sound”, he said.

The more wool, the less the sound comes back.

“There [na parte em que ficarão as torcidas adversárias]we put a lot of wool, here [na parte destinada aos atleticanos]less wool”, said Farkasvolgyi. “The idea is that the opposing fans only hear Atlético singing”, said the architect, who supports the black and white team.

He still hopes to count on other forces, especially in the case of matches against Cruzeiro, Atlético’s main rival.

“I buried something there, about two meters under the field. I can’t say what it is, but Cruzeiro doesn’t win here”, he said.

Due to the stadium’s design, there will be a specific area in the stands for organized supporters. It’s at the bottom of the structure, just behind the south goal.

The decision to reserve an area for organized ones was to have better access and entry control, according to the club. The stadium’s electronic turnstiles will be equipped with a facial recognition system. “There is no luxury in the stadium, but everything is very comfortable,” said Atlético CEO Bruno Muzzi.

Internal structure

An internal “street” that surrounds the entire stadium, under the bleachers, promises to facilitate the assembly and disassembly of the stage and sound equipment for concerts.

The account of those responsible for the work is that this can be done in 24 hours, a time that can be changed according to the size of the structure to be assembled and disassembled.

“This street is our invention. There are still four giant mouths in the stadium,” said Farkasvolgyi, referring to the four access points from the “internal street” to the pitch. The architect claims to have visited 21 stadiums in Europe before designing the MRV Arena.

Lawn

Less time to set up and take down structures for shows means less turf time covered. The field, when not exposed to air, can deteriorate. There is still no scheduled date, but the club will adopt synthetic grass in the arena. At first, it will be natural grass.

Locker rooms

Environments with small bleachers were built in the area intended for the players to warm up. The structure can be used, for example, by family members of athletes or for member visit programs to increase revenue.

the blind spot

Atlético denies the existence of a blind spot in the stadium, as Internet users pointed out in July after a test event at the arena. Supporters who were in the upper part behind the south goal could not see part of the field.

According to Farkasvolgyi, other fans stood on the railing and blocked the view of those behind, further up. “It’s not a blind spot. It’s the concept of the project. It was done that way. If someone stays there, they are hurting what was thought”, he said.

The club will place security guards to prevent fans from staying at the site and will pass guidelines on the screen so that people do not remain standing in the sector. “We’re going to have to work first on education,” declared the team’s CEO.

Billing Expectation

Atlético expects revenues of R$ 80 million per year with tickets for football matches at the MRV Arena. If it reaches the figure, this will represent 29% more than the expected BRL 62 million in revenue from the same source of revenue in 2023.

The supporter-partnership, assesses Muzzi, tends to grow from the stadium. The club’s representative hopes that the inauguration of the arena will take place later this month. Throughout the construction, the club has already managed to obtain income through the concession of “naming rights”, sale of captive chairs and cabins.

The stadium also maintains a program of guided tours around the arena, with payment of R$ 80 per person.

politics and football

As is often the case, politics and football were also mixed in the construction of the MRV Arena. The stadium will be inaugurated under a bill to be analyzed in the second round by the capital’s City Council.

The text authorizes the arena to operate without full compliance with the counterparts required from the club for the construction of the stadium. They are, basically, access works around the arena.

The stadium was ready, but the works were not, which prevents, under current rules, the granting of an operating license.

The club tries to avoid controversy. “It’s a long, complex process. It’s licensing for a work of great impact. We spent a lot of time, and nowadays the dialogue with the city hall is super online. What delayed it was back there for the whole process to move forward” , said Muzzi.

Most of the licensing process for the construction of the arena took place under the municipal administration of Alexandre Kalil (PSD), who left the city hall last year to run for governor of the state, being defeated by Romeu Zema (Novo).

Kalil and also his father, Elias Kalil, were presidents of Atlético.

Today, the command of the team, which became SAF (Sociedade Anônima do Futebol, the club-company), belongs to the group of businessmen known as 4R, which are Rubens Menin and Rafael Menin, from MRV Construtora, Ricardo Guimarães, from Banco BMG, and Renato Salvador, from the Mater Dei hospital network.

Muzzi avoids commenting on whether there was a political problem with the construction of the stadium. “It’s not worth getting into that discussion,” he said.

According to information from the club, the arena was originally going to be built for 60,000 people. There would also be a mall. City hall, according to Atlético, did not want the project. In a note sent by his advisory, former mayor Kalil stated that the club was the one who withdrew from the original project.

Leonardo Castro, secretary of government at the city hall, currently under the command of Fuad Nomam (PSD), who took office with Kalil’s departure, pointed out that the counterpart projects presented to the city hall in accordance with the legislation, and also the licensing, have been approved and are in execution.

“There are no pending assessments by BHTrans. Some works are already underway. There is no mismatch between the counterpart licenses and those of the arena”, stated the secretary.

According to the mayor of Belo Horizonte, Gabriel Azevedo (without party), the project that authorizes the stadium to start operating without the delivery of counterparts will be evaluated still in August.