Bolivia
Estadio Hernando Siles
Estadio Hernando Siles is known as Bolivia's national football stadium. It has a capacity of 42 000 seated spectators and is named after Hernando Siles Reyes, the President of Bolivia between 1926 and 1930. The stadium is located in the Miraflores borough of La Paz. The stadium has been the site of the most glorious achievements in Bolivian football history, including Bolivia's defeat of Brazil in a FIFA World Cup qualifying match in 1993, which was Brazil's first loss in a FIFA World Cup qualifier.
Until May 2007, FIFA, football's international governing body, accepted the stadium as a FIFA World Cup qualifying venue despite protests from visiting teams that the altitude gives the Bolivian national team an unfair advantage against opponents who only have a few days to acclimatise before playing. In May 2007, FIFA declared that no FIFA World Cup qualifying matches could be played in stadiums located too high above sea level. Some, including Bolivian President Evo Morales, reacted by claiming the new measure discriminated primarily against the high-altitude nations in Latin America, specifically those in the Andes region. After a month FIFA announced a special exemption for the Estadio Hernando Siles, allowing the stadium to continue holding FIFA World Cup qualifiers despite its high elevation.
