Brasil Day fifteen

Galo Galo Galo Galo!!!!! Galo Galo Galo Galo!!!!!

This was the first thing that I heard as I walked up the worn concrete steps. People were crowed on all sides, black and white everywhere, with the smell of beer and bad food filled the air. To get inside I had to pass through two security check points with guards holding baseball bat sized human beating sticks and attack dogs every fifty feet. The whole place was filled with an animated energy that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up and goose bumps form on my arms. I was at the church that all of brazil knows and worships; a place where people have screamed and danced with an ecstatic love for life and a place where grown men have been reduced to pathetic shambles of tears and sobs. I was at the Mineirao, the stadium of Belo Horizonte, and the local team Galo was playing a team from Rio Grande do Sul.

I had come with Kelib and my roommates, who were very excited to show the two gringos their first Brazilian football game. People everywhere were drinking beer, screaming and chanting songs for their beloved team, Galo. I was fortunate enough to have been given a jersey before we left so I blending in with the crowd amazingly well. I was excited, scared and awe struck at how much people really loved this sport. Rich and poor brought together to cheer a common cause. It was something that I have never seen in the US.

The game was actually kind of a boring with no score until the last 15 minutes. Galo lost and the crowd was not very pleased. People shouted ‘ vai tomar o cu!’ over and over again. There was even a guy that was beyond drunk, screaming at the empty field when the game was over. He was a true passionate fan. Cuss words and watery eyes were both present when the referee finally blew the final whistle.

After the game we waited for a nonexistent bus that didn’t show up. We were there for an hour, sitting on the side of the road watching the crowd disperse in their small cars, still chanting Galo. About half of an hour waiting, we got to see the bus carrying the opposing team. It was quite the entourage. In front of the bus were four military police SUV’s filled with police guards all holding shot guns and semi-automatic riffles. With sirens blaring they stopped traffic in both directions to make way for the team. Crazy stuff and quite a show. We finally decided to take a taxi home, as things were not getting any safer the longer we stayed there. This was my first real game, and I will be sure to return for more.