The order from Asuncion’s city hall came hours after the Paraguayan FA (APF) announced it was sealing off the north stand for repairs.
“The municipal government is responsible for the physical integrity of people in crowded places,” councillor Daniel Centurion said.
“We want to be sure the stadium is safe beyond the north stand,” he said ahead of an inspection of the stadium.
The repairs on the 99-year-old stadium must be finished by Sept. 1 when Paraguay host a 2018 South American World Cup qualifier against Chile, APF president Ramon Gonzalez Daher said.
The last time the concrete 40,000-capacity stadium was closed was after the death of two police officers when part of a stand collapsed during a domestic match in 2009.
The Defensores (defenders) del Chaco, named after soldiers killed during the 1932-35 Chaco War against neighbouring Bolivia, hosts all Paraguay’s home international matches, a majority of South American club matches involving teams in the capital and major domestic games.
Paraguay are seventh after six matches in the 10-nation South American group from which the top four qualify for the finals in Russia. The fifth team will go into an intercontinental playoff.
(Reporting by Rex Gowar, editing by Ed Osmond)
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