Palmeiras fans fulfilled their promise to send the players to the World Cup with celebration. Celebrated on the way out of the training center towards the Cumbica airport, in Guarulhos, the alviverde delegation left for the United Arab Emirates in an attempt to seek the title most dreamed of by the São Paulo club.
Hundreds of people gathered at the door of the Football Academy, in Barra Funda. The bus with the athletes left at 11:07 am this Wednesday (2), shouting “let’s win, Pig”. The public was initially restrained by bars, which did not resist the moment the vehicle took the Marquês de São Vicente avenue.
The car was then surrounded, and it took eight minutes for it to gain some speed and head for Cumbica. In Guarulhos, the group of athletes did not pass through the lobby, where there were other fans – much less numerous than in the CT –, excited about the possibility of the team lifting the trophy in Abu Dhabi.
“This time, there’s no way around it. There’s no Monterrey, there’s no Chelsea, there’s no one for anyone,” said publicist Marcus Castro, 37, tracing the path he envisions to the cup. On vacation, he decided to accompany the players on their way to the airport and showed an optimism shared by most of the fans.
The boarding parties for important championships are always filled with phrases of confidence and shouts of encouragement. But the feeling registered by many people from Palmeiras is that winning the World Cup is more within reach than in other opportunities. Compared to last year, it seems palpable that the chance is greater.
“Back in Qatar, it was that rush, right? The team had just won the Libertadores, traveled tired. And, even if we had passed Tigres, Bayern would have been a team in the final. Now, it’s playing the role in the semifinal and take on Chelsea, which is no machine,” said student Otávio Girardelli, 18.
In the 2020 edition, held in 2021, Palmeiras fell in their first match, losing 1-0 to Mexican Tigres. Then, he was surpassed on penalties by Al Ahly, from Egypt, after a 0-0 draw in the dispute for third place. It was the worst campaign by a South American team in the tournament’s history.
At the time, the boarding did not have the same excitement. The Covid-19 pandemic was at a more critical stage, one of the reasons why fewer fans followed the team to the airport. For the same reason, no one was able to travel and see the games in Qatar, held with empty stands.
This time, there are fans bustling to go to the UAE. The debut of the alviverde team is scheduled for next Tuesday (8), against the winner of the duel between the Mexican Monterrey and Al Ahly, an old Egyptian acquaintance. In the other semifinal, England’s Chelsea awaits Al Hilal, from Saudi Arabia, Pirae, from Tahiti, or Al Jazira, from the United Arab Emirates.
It will be Palmeiras’ second attempt at the current format of the World Cup, organized by FIFA. Before, in 1999, the team won the Copa Libertadores and played for the intercontinental title against Manchester United in Tokyo. The expectation, as it happens now, was great around the then commanded of Luiz Felipe Scolari.
“Airport becomes ‘general’ of Palmeiras”, reported Folha de S.Paulo on November 23, recording the departure in the previous morning. According to the estimate made by Infraero, which managed Cumbica, around 500 alviverdes came to show their support. “Euphoric, they made a lot of noise, scaring the unsuspecting and even the players.”
The president of the uniformed Mancha Alvi Verde, Paulo Serdan, organized a kind of cordon to protect the athletes. And vibrated. “Even we were surprised. We started to win the title on boarding. A departure like that is gratifying. In these moments, the Palmeiras fans know how to be… Faithful I won’t say, because it’s a term I don’t like, but it’s very honest.”
Honesty wasn’t enough to take the team to the top. Manchester United won 1-0, and the Palmeiras started to live with a growing mockery that they don’t have a world title – although many of them consider the triumph in the 1951 Copa Rio an achievement of this magnitude.
In recent years, a corner of rivals has gained popularity, pointing out that “Palmeiras doesn’t have a World Cup, they don’t have a Cup, they don’t have a World Cup”. The Copinha part was buried last month, with the unprecedented glory of the São Paulo Junior Cup. Now, the men of Portuguese coach Abel Ferreira hope to end the provocation once and for all.
“There’s no more music. It’s over, old man. Who laughed, laughed. The meme is over, the music is over. People have one more week to sing a little tune, make a meme. That’s it: while we celebrate the title, the guys celebrate meme. But there won’t even be a meme anymore. It’s over”, warned supporter Marcus Castro.
Source: Folha
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