Retired Vicente Lucio Barreto, 62, remembers Bragantino’s first game he watched. It was in 1965, the year the team rose to the elite division of São Paulo soccer.
For the tournament dispute between the big clubs in the state the following year, Felippe de Loredo Netto, grandfather of radio broadcaster Silvio Loredo, helped to erect the concrete bleachers at the Marcelo Stefani stadium (today Nabi Abi Chedid).
When the team returned to the main championship in São Paulo, in 1988, it was the turn of Silvio, 55, to push sand and cement carts to build a new sector for the public.
Fans of the club that is now called Red Bull Bragantino struggled to find a way to travel to Montevideo for the Copa Sudamericana final. They calculated different budgets, considered the possibility of renting a car, traveling without accommodation, and imagined different routes.
Almost all options were out of financial reality not only for them but for the majority of the country’s working class.
On the next 20th, Red Bull Bragantino plays the first continental final in its history. Decides the Copa Sudamericana with Athletico, at Estádio Centenário, in Montevideo.
As happens with Palmeiras and Flamengo fans interested in seeing the decision of the Copa Libertadores, a week later, in the same city, fans who want to see the last match of the Sul-Americana can find airline tickets for around R$ 10 thousand.
Hotel rates can reach R$ 30 thousand (with breakfast included, the establishments make a point of making it clear). The cheapest ticket for Libertadores costs US$200 (R$1,127 at current prices). For Bragantino x Athletico, it’s US$ 100 (R$ 563).
The solution will be to charter a bus.
“We thought about going by car, but what about the price of fuel? We are considering renting a vehicle, but there is bureaucracy on the border with Uruguay, it’s not just about crossing. We got a bus, and an agency will take 50 supporters,” says Silvio Loredo .
Each will pay R$1,999 in up to ten installments. The price does not include tickets or meals. In order not to become too tiring, the caravan will stop for one night in Porto Alegre, on the way back and forth.
“I think this way it was good. The important thing is to be there. If you told me, five years ago, that Bragantino would be playing in a continental final, I wouldn’t believe at all,” adds Loredo.
It’s a similar spirit to the Athletico fans who try to organize themselves to see the decision. The club, like Bragantino, will not have any official tour. Tickets leaving Curitiba are even more expensive than those with São Paulo as a starting point. The way is also to appeal to the bus.
“I spent a week in Buenos Aires to see the game against Boca in La Bombonera [em 2019]. It was a cheaper trip than spending two days on the road and spending a day and a half in Montevideo for the final of the Sudamericana”, says lawyer Guilherme Voidela, 25.
He is one of those responsible for chartering a minibus to go to Uruguay. Voidela has already sold 20 seats in the vehicle that can fit 30. He is making an effort to trade others and not lose money. The price of the trip, which only includes transport from Curitiba to Montevideo to Curitiba, will be R$550.
“Can you let me know that there are still places? We need to fill up”, he asks.
Athletico’s caravans will travel directly, with no overnight stay on the way. But the people from Paraná will sleep after the game in the Uruguayan capital, hoping to hold the title party there. The São Paulo bus returns a few hours after the final whistle.
“We’re feeling good. It would be anticlimactic to go back right after the match. I got a hotel in downtown Montevideo for R$ 100. But look… It’ll just be for sleeping because in downtown São Paulo there’s something better and cheaper,” says Voidela, making clear the low quality of housing.
Unlike what happens with Bragantino, the decision will not be unprecedented for Athletico. The club has already won the Sudamericana. In 2018, he beat Junior Barranquilla, from Colombia. At the time, the title was decided in round-trip matches, not in a single game like now.
“I’m too excited! I’m half a crown, but I can handle the trip. I’m very happy with the team. Have you thought about seeing Bragantino champion in Uruguay?” imagine Vicente Barreto, who was born in Toledo, Paraná, but fell in love with the team from Bragança on radio broadcasts, even before moving to the city in 1966.
The retiree wanted to take more family members, but the expenses became prohibitive. Not even Joana’s girlfriend fit the budget. Vicente believes she will understand. Or at least wait.
Silvio Loredo will have the company of his sons Gustavo, 29, and Gabriel, 27. All that will be missing is the presence of his father, Felippe, who instilled in him a love for the club. He died in 2018.
“If he were alive, he would go with us. I have no doubt about that. It’s a historic milestone. Regardless of the result, this game is a milestone for Bragantino”, concludes Loredo.
.
I have worked in the news industry for over 10 years. I have a vast amount of experience in covering health news. I am also an author at News Bulletin 247. I am highly experienced and knowledgeable in this field. I am a hard worker and always deliver quality work. I am a reliable source of information and always provide accurate information.
