The 2022 World Cup will start next Sunday (20th) in Qatar, but the atmosphere is already present in the streets of São Paulo, in the form of paint, flag and ribbons in green and yellow. That’s what the report observed last week, when it circulated through Jardim Arantes (east zone), Perus (west), Jardim Miriam (south) and Bela Vista (center).
At least for the residents of Rua Cândido Afonso de Camargo, in Perus, street cleaner Sebastião Procópio Soares, 56, known as Tião, is the symbol of the Cup.
Since October 10, he and a group of residents have spread green and yellow everywhere, on the guides and on top, where the ribbons form the design of the Brazilian flag. On Sundays and in his spare time, Tião works on the featured ornamentation.
“I paint my face, my hair, and I wear clothes and shoes also painted in green and yellow. For me, the Cup is joy”, he says. He guarantees that Rua Cândido Afonso de Camargo will be ready by the start of the World Cup.
There, the celebrations for the event began in 1994, according to hairdresser Paulo Sérgio Soares, 47, who has lived there for 33 years. As the street was still made of clay, it only received strips of fabric scraps. In 2002, when it was paved, residents colored it for the first time.
During the World Cups, the place turns into a ballroom, with samba, barbecue and, of course, football. At the end of the matches, the residents do the “Olympic tour”.
“Regardless of the result of the game, even if we lose, we go out drumming, singing songs related to the Cup and samba dancing around the block. Even those who don’t like football participate. Here, what counts is friendship”, says Soares.
There is even a T-shirt made especially for the World Cup. It says “Rua da Copa Perus-SP”.
A WhatsApp group was the starting point for organizing the World Cup festivities on Avenida Santo Afonso, in Jardim Miriam. The first section of the road, which is quite busy, received the coat of arms and the flag of the Brazilian team, the mascot and the traditional ribbons.
“Each one gave what they had at home, such as paint and ribbons, and a contribution in cash. The residents and workers on the avenue got their hands dirty with the drawings and paintings. It’s like the Christmas spirit”, explains the barber Rodrigo Martins Borges Ferreira de Souza, 31, who lives and works there. “The Cup brings a lot of unity. If there are neighbors who for some reason don’t talk to each other, they start talking again because they get together to paint the street at the weekend”, he comments.
On Rua Miguel Fernandes, in Jardim Arantes, the decoration for the World Cup is almost a novelty. Residents claim that the 2018 was the first and there was little party. This year promises to be different. The organization started, excited, about 20 days ago.
According to João Victor Lima Brito, 19, the work, which also takes place during some nights and weekends, will be completed by Sunday, with the painting of the cup so desired by the 32 teams. Each resident contributed R$20.
The residents intend to watch Brazil’s first game, on November 24 against Serbia, together. Student Guilherme Ferreira, 20, remembers the importance of the spirit of collaboration. “The Cup also brought unity and harmony to us. Everyone helped within their possibilities.”
On Rua Maria José, Bela Vista, painting for the World Cup has been done since 1998. The fact that the place is included in the Ruas de Lazer program facilitates the participation of children and encourages them to continue the tradition. About 120 children frequent the street.
“We’ve lost that World Cup tradition a little bit. Maybe we still haven’t been able to show the children that they are the continuity not only of the program, but also of the activities of the Cup”, says the social communicator and coordinator of the street community council , Antonio Barbosa Detoro, 44.
Engagement is collective. In addition to residents, companies, shopkeepers and street visitors collaborate with the donation of paint, a flag and rabiola. The kids help with painting the guides and drawings.
The expectation is that by Sunday the road will be painted with the Brazilian flag on the stretch where many of the residents, when they were little, played ball.
For Rafael Guimarães, sports monitor at Sesc Campo Limpo, in the south zone, the Cup is an excellent motivation to maintain the soccer culture. “The children are an integral part of the community and have fun helping with painting and drawing”, points out the educator.
The unit will offer a street painting workshop from the 22nd to the 27th of November.
Free and aimed at two audiences —from the 22nd to the 25th for those who are already enrolled in the Curumim and Esporte Criança programs and on the 26th and 27th for all children aged 6 to 12 years—, the Pinta a Rua activity will be guided by art -educators.
In São Paulo, according to the CET (Traffic Engineering Company), requests for street closures are analyzed as events, in accordance with current legislation. If the road is residential, there is no need for a ban.
According to the Brazilian Traffic Code, decorations cannot interfere with traffic signs, be it horizontal, traffic lights or vertical.
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