Opinion – Walter Casagrande Jr.: Corinthian Democracy celebrated its first title 40 years ago

This Monday (12) marks exactly 40 years of the first title of Corinthian Democracy.

1982 was a magical, difficult, but very dangerous year for the members of that movement.

The final group was being assembled after the Brazilian Championship, in which we left the Silver Cup and went to the semifinals, when we were eliminated by Grêmio.

They were handpicked players and citizens, because most were already at the club.

We had a spectacular Paulista Championship, in every sense, and we almost won the title directly, winning both rounds.

We were hyperfocused, because we knew the immense responsibility of defending democracy in a country with a military dictatorship that was still very violent.

Just to remember that the Riocentro attack was carried out, without success, by the military themselves, on April 30, 1981.

All players, even those who participated little externally in the political struggle, were immensely important in the whole process. We had the same importance in that fight.

Of course, the most exposed were me, Magrão and Wladimir, because we went to fight for social democracy, and not just Corinthian democracy. We were persecuted and filed in the Dops exactly for our ideas and movements that year.

We played brilliant matches in the championship, incredible speed goals with my brother from neighborhood, school and faith, Ataliba.

Zenon’s ingenious free kicks and strikes.

Magic tables of a duo, a couple, two friends who were united through love.

Socrates and Casagrande appeared in that year of 1982, and stayed for eternity. Nothing can separate our soul and our passion anymore.

In the week of the Paulista grand final, it reached the club’s management, through an informant, that they were preparing a trap for me.

I was the most fragile, because I was an 18-year-old teenager who was having a behavioral influence on the youth at that time (this is on my Dops file). They wanted to stop it and put an end to our movement.

We decided together that I would stay at the hotel for the whole week, but all the single players and the “joker” winger Eduardo Amorim, married, decided that he would also stay. And so it was.

We won the first game of the final, on December 8, 1982, Wednesday night, 1-0, with a goal by Sócrates. And we went to the 12th of December just needing a draw.

Sunny Sunday, at 4 pm, with Morumbi packed to watch the final of the two biggest teams in the state at that time: Corinthians x São Paulo.

An unforgettable afternoon for everything we did and went through that year.

I remember our team, already in the tunnel to enter the field. We noticed that the sound system of the stadium was playing the song “Andar com Fé”, by Gilberto Gil. Naturally, we all started to sing.

It shivers and tears come to my eyes to this day when I remember that moment. It was one of the most beautiful things I have participated in and witnessed in my life.

We won 3-1, with two goals from Biro-Biro —the third was mine—, with Dario Pereira scoring for the tricolor.

A striking scene was Magrão and I crossing the field, running hand in hand. That was a happy ending, as if an inexhaustible passion had been consummated.

In the evening, before meeting everyone to celebrate, I stopped by the extinct Spazio Pirandello restaurant, on Rua Augusta, which was a left-wing cultural and political meeting point at the time. Every Sunday I went there. The late Antônio Maschio, owner of the restaurant, has already brought champagne to celebrate the title.

That was December 12, 1982.