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DO YOU SUPPORT FLUMINESE?
I support Fluminense
By Fernando Salazar
Like the club's unofficial Hymn says: I am "Tricolor" (tri-coloured)
from the bottom of my heart. The three colours of Fluminense are part
of my earliest memories. I became Tricolor the usual way: because my
father is also Tricolor. This is how we are drafted as supporters in
our childhood, barred some serious Edipian issues.
I love the fact that my first memory of a Fluminense match in at
Laranjeiras our home ground instead of the majestic Maracanã.
Fluminense wore the white uniform and beat an visiting Scandinavian
team. It was the sixties and Brazillian teams were riding high on the
success of our national team (despite the blip in England 66) and
there were many overseas tours.
Fluminense was founded in 1902 and is likely to be the oldest futebol
team in activity in Brasil. Its origins are mixed with the origins of
the game itself in Brasil. That gave us an early start and we still
have the largest number of state championships. We are winners.
However we are not known for teams dynasties of such as Pele's Santos,
Garrincha's Botafogo or Zico's Flamengo.
If we Tricolores are seen as posh, because of the upper class origins
of the club, our game has always been based on solid defence,
organization and discipline: We are a white collar club with blue
collar futebol.
I am one of those blessed Tricolores for I witness the one of the best
Fluminense teams ever: A Máquina (the Powerhouse, I would translate)
of the 1970's. Created during the mandate of Francisco Horta a
diminutive megalomaniac that I suspect of Catalan ancestry, "A
Máquina" was an anomaly in the Fluminense history and included
Galácticos-like names such as Rivellino, Paulo Cesar Lima, Mário
Sérgio, Dirceu, Gil and Marinho Chagas.
During that time I saw Fluminense commemorate its Birthday by playing
a friendly against the Almighty Bayern Munich sporting world champions
such as Mayer, Muller and Seller (I am not sure if the Kayser was
there). We won by a meagre 1 X 0 but we outplayed the opposition like
a cat plays with a coacroach.
Those were magical times. Brasil had all its stars playing within our
borders. Players stuck with their teams, not as nowadays players/sales
representatives always moving for city to city, from team to team.
Week-ends were times of butterflies in the stomach, immense jubilation
of victories or depths of despair in defeat.
Now I live and work in London. I follow with fake interest the
Premiership. I follow the Brazillian Foreign Legion of players in
Europe with friendly solidarity.
But my passion lies elsewhere. On a daily basis I visit websites,
chatrooms, I read newspapers and monitor TV for any sign of Fluminense
activity.
For despite the distance, my senses are still slave to all things
related to the green white and maroon stripes: Sometimes when I see a
waving Fluminense flag I feel under a magic spell, I feel like a
little child again.
Memories flood back and I can suddenly see the pre-match "pó de arroz"
fog, a unique tradition in football. I can smell the glue of my
Fluminense players stickers. I can hear the click of my futebol de
botão Fluminense squad of countless replayed classics. I can feel the
sweaty palm of my father holding my hand as we exited the cold
darkness of Maracanã's access tunnel and entered the green
battlefield.
Then I know once more that, for as long as I live, I will love my
dearest Fluminense from the bottom of my heart.
Why I support Fluminese
By Ivan Sant'Anna
Writer and all-time autoball top scorer. (rapina@unisys.com.br)
The Fluminense greatest player of all times, was goalkeeper Castilho. He was a legend. Once, in the upper Fifties, he had a chronic infection in one of his fingers. This was impeding him to play well. So he asked Fluminense's physician, Dr Paes Barreto, to cut out his finger. And, with nine fingers, he defended Fluminense goal for many years. Later, he was a successful coach, although he never coached Fluminense team. He commited suicide jumping from the window of his apartment, hours before moving do Saudi Arabia, where he was coaching a local team. It was Castilho's last flight. The old Fluminense fans, like me, will never forget him.
If you think about a big name from Brazilian football that hasn't belong to "Mengáo" team, there are only two possibilities: 1) the player was definitely not that good; 2) he is the exception that proves the rule. In either case, he must have had a deep sadness for not having be able to defend the only club that has been Brazilian national champion five times.
DO YOU SUPPORT FLUMINESE?
Tell us why in an email () and we'll stick it up here.
Information compiled by: Mark Lowdon
Last page update: November 9 2004
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