Atletico-MG fans let out the scream of a Brazilian champion in Belo Horizonte

It took 50 years, but it ended the longest fast of a Brazilian champion. The consequence was screams, cries, outbursts and relief in bars, restaurants and streets of Belo Horizonte at the final whistle of the match won by Atlético-MG over Bahia, 3-2.

The city woke up this Thursday (2) with black and white everywhere. Fans, on foot or by car, went to work and school in the club’s shirt. Flags were seen on balconies and windows of buildings and houses.

In Savassi, in the south-central region of the capital of Minas Gerais, a bar, at around 8:30 am, was already organized and set up guardrails, wrapped in black plastic, to mark out a space for those who went to the establishment later to watch the game.

In another establishment in the region, Bar do João, the oldest in Savassi, inaugurated 37 years ago, merchant João Pimenta, 66, couldn’t even pay attention to the lunch he serves daily. The head was on “Galão”, as his team treats.

João, in addition to being in love with Atlético-MG, has the team’s biggest idol as his client: player Reinaldo, who lives near the place and goes to the bar much more to talk than to consume. Just show up there that requests for photos pour in. He never refuses and always uses the traditional gesture of the stretched arm upwards with a clenched fist.

The “Rei”, despite not having appeared there this Thursday, has been a companion of João in part of these times of “drought” of Brazilian titles. The last one had been conquered in 1971.

“It’s a feeling of relief. Atletican is different. We love the team even without titles. But with the championship in hand it’s a joy for all of us. Only those who are Atletican know what it’s like to root for this club. And now, we are two-time champions,” says João.

The owner of the bar that bears his name remembers the first title, but says that everything is different now. “I was 15 years old and I lived with my parents and brothers in my hometown, Diamantina. We didn’t have a television. I listened to the matches on the radio. But at that time, people liked the teams in Rio better. Not me. I’ve always been athletic. “he says.

Not far from there, in the Serra neighborhood, the Bar do Salomão, the city’s most traditional athletic stronghold, began to receive fans three hours before the game. The bar has photos of Atlético teams over the last few decades covering every wall of the establishment.

Fans started arriving before 3pm. Cars passed by, honking their horns, and the answer was shouts of “Rooster!” At 6 pm the place was buzzing. The bar, very small, is on a corner.

Televisions are installed with the display facing outside the establishment on team match days so that fans can follow the game from the sidewalk. The heavy rain that hit the city an hour before the game caused fans to huddle under a marquee, but nothing to dampen the excitement. The storm only lasted a few minutes.

There were so many people that the Atleticans started to occupy part of the street. Even from a distance, to those who don’t know the place, it seemed to be a stadium. “It took a long time, but it arrived. We are champions,” cheered Victor Bicalho, 31, who works at a family buffet.

“Now it’s time to celebrate and receive the cup,” said the systems analyst, Bernardo Borem, 25. “It’s a party for more days,” he added. At the end of the match, all that was heard was the cry of “two-time champion”.

Atletico-MG’s press office, until the closing of this edition, had not confirmed the holding of a party to commemorate the title. Among the fans, however, there was an expectation that the team would return this evening to the city, with a parade from the airport to Praça Sete, in the central region of the capital.

For the cheering crowd throughout the day, however, the party in Belo Horizonte will be everywhere.