THE GLOBE
The never-ending Fla party\
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\ Without Adriano, the club is the biggest winner of the 'Craque do Brasileirão' award
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\ PETKOVIC SHOWS OFF the award for best left-winger in the Brazilian Championship
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One day after winning its sixth national title, Flamengo had more reasons to extend its celebrations. Last night, at a party at a concert venue in the South Zone, the club was the big winner of the "Craque do Brasileirão" award, promoted by the CBF. In his first season with the club, Andrade was named best coach; Petkovic won best left midfielder; and Adriano, whose absence was the biggest disappointment of the night, won two statuettes: best forward and top scorer of the competition, with 19 goals—awards also received by Diego Tardelli of Atlético-MG. Once again, the red-and-black fans, responsible for the highest average attendance of the competition (40.035 paying spectators), were honored as "Torcida de Ouro" (Golden Fans).
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\ - This was the year of my career. I never could have imagined this - said Petkovic.\
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At the party, the club also received the Brazilian championship trophy and a check for R$5 million from the Club of 13. Half of this amount will be divided among the players for winning the title, as agreed with the board. In an effusive speech, president Márcio Braga recalled the financial difficulties Flamengo has faced. He revealed that, despite having brought 1,56 million paying spectators to the stadiums this year and received approximately R$8 million from the sale of 1,05 million shirts from the new sports equipment supplier, the club is struggling to raise the R$5 million per month needed to cover its payroll and supplier commitments.
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"We're behind on Bruno's gloves. We'll catch up thanks to the award," he said.
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Adriano and prosecutor decide future this week
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Amidst the celebrations for winning the Brazilian Championship, Flamengo is preparing to face the rising value of its players on the market. Benfica is interested in midfielder Aírton and plans to announce his signing in the coming days. However, nothing worries them more than Adriano. After the match against Grêmio, the player admitted the possibility of leaving. Yesterday, the striker's agent, Gilmar Rinaldi, said he plans to speak with him in the coming days.
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"I received more than one very good thing for him. And Adriano already knows. This week, we're going to sit down to talk: me, him, and his mother. The financial side has never been a priority for him," said Gilmar.
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\ Asked if the proximity of the World Cup could weigh on his decision,\ he simply said:
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\ - There are a lot of things that weigh on me, I don't want to say anything in advance.
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Among the possible reinforcements for the Libertadores, the names of Kléber, from Cruzeiro, and Vágner Love, from Palmeiras, are being discussed in Gávea. Negotiations are only expected to progress after the new board takes office.
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Fluminense also had its winner of the night. With 51% of the 9 million votes counted, Argentine Darío Conca was named "fan favorite." The revelation was Fernandinho, from Barueri. Despite failing to lead Palmeiras to even a spot in the Copa Libertadores, Diego Souza was named "Brazilian best," beating out Petkovic and Adriano.
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\ - That at least lessened the frustration of the championship final a little -\ he said.
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Vasco president Roberto Dinamite, midfielder Carlos Alberto and the club's former coach Dorival Júnior received the Série B trophy. Roberto made an appeal to Rio clubs:
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\ - With planning, Rio will win again.
The talents of the Brazilian
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\ Andrade is elected the best technician and Pet
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\ GIVEN A GIVEN OVATION, PETKOVIC celebrates winning the award for best right-winger in the Brazilian Championship.
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Victor, Jonhatan, André Dias, Miranda, and Júlio César; Hernanes, Guiñazu, Diego Souza, and Petkovic; Diego Tardelli and Adriano. Andrade was the coach. With three Flamengo players and three São Paulo players, this was the selection of the best in the Brazilian Championship, all chosen yesterday at the Craque do Brasileirão Awards, promoted by the CBF, at a party venue in Rio.
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\ - This was the year of my career, I could never have imagined this - said\ Petkovic.
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\ - The prize, at least, lessened the frustration at the end of the championship a little\ - said Diego Souza, from Palmeiras.
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Flamengo's fans, responsible for the highest average attendance in the Brazilian Championship (40.035 paying fans), won the "Golden Fans" award. The star of the fans was Argentinian Dario Conca, from Fluminense, who won the bronze trophy in the competition for best left midfielder with Pet and Marcelinho Paraíba.
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\ Brazilian national team coach Dunga spoke about Andrade's victory:
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\ - He wasn't lucky. He was competent and worked hard.
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Amidst the celebrations for winning the Brazilian Championship, Flamengo is preparing to face the rising value of its players on the market. Benfica is interested in midfielder Aírton and plans to announce his signing in the coming days. However, nothing worries them more than Adriano. After the match against Grêmio, the player admitted the possibility of leaving. Yesterday, the striker's agent, Gilmar Rinaldi, said he plans to speak with Adriano in the coming days.
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"I received more than one very good thing for him. And Adriano already knows. This week, we're going to sit down to talk: me, him, and his mother. The financial side has never been a priority for Adriano," said Gilmar.
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\ Asked if the proximity of the World Cup could weigh on his decision,\ he simply said:
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\ - There are a lot of things that weigh on me, I don't want to say anything in advance.
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Among the possible reinforcements, the names of Kléber, from Cruzeiro, and Vágner Love, from Palmeiras, are being discussed in Gávea. However, negotiations are only expected to progress after the new board takes office.
Ronaldo at the red-black party
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\ Player is invited by Adriano, who cries during the celebration
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While Flamengo's board members and fans celebrated their sixth championship title at a restaurant in Rio's South Zone, the Flamengo players held a private celebration. The party, which was private to the general public, was hosted by Adriano and was attended by almost the entire squad—with the exception of Ronaldo Angelim and goalkeeper Bruno. Many of the players attended the party with their wives and family, at a club in Barra da Tijuca.
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One of the surprises was the presence of Corinthians striker Ronaldo. A rival of Flamengo fans since he decided to sign a contract with the São Paulo club after recovering in Gávea from his most recent knee surgery, he was at the celebration with his wife, Bia Antony.
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At the event, where Adriano's girlfriend was also celebrating her birthday, samba singer Dudu Nobre sang for the players. At one point, the striker became emotional and cried. Hours after giving an interview at the Maracanã stadium, in which he admitted the possibility of leaving the club, the player was surrounded by teammates chanting "Emperor will stay." The demonstration moved Adriano.
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Ronaldo didn't stay long at the party. Yesterday, Flamengo's official website published a text honoring defender Ronaldo Angelim and, by extension, provoking the Corinthians striker. "There is only one Ronaldo" was the headline. Further on, a section said that "for the Red-Black Nation, the real Ronaldo is Thin Steel."
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The same Andrade, only with two more titles on his resume
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\ Best coach in the Brazilian Championship and six-time champion doesn't give up simplicity
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\ ANDRADE RECEIVES, from the hands of Dunga, coach of the national team, the trophy for best coach in the Brazilian Championship at the CBF party last night
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\ THE COACH MAKES the number six, a reference to his and Flamengo's sixth Brazilian title\ in a hotel in the South Zone
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\ Carlos Eduardo Mansur
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What differentiates Andrade, who had five Brazilian titles, from the man now the country's only six-time champion and the championship's best coach, elected yesterday at the CBF celebrations? Besides the achievements he added to his resume, absolutely nothing. After being a low-key figure at the party on the pitch, he left Maracanã and went home. He intended to change his clothes and go to the steakhouse where the club was celebrating. He was surprised by a surprise party thrown by friends and stayed there. For the next few days, he's making plans like a regular guy: from the supermarket to a beer with friends, including a few games with the masters team.
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The following day was marked by the traditional patience with which he responded to each interview request. In his speech, even when expressing his sorrow for the situations he had experienced in Gávea, he was polite, never resentful. And he was more grateful than complimentary.
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Andrade continued the red-and-black tradition of winning with coaches without a name. With the exception of Cláudio Coutinho in 1980, Carpegiani was a recently retired player when he won the Libertadores and the World Cup in 1981, and the Brazilian Championship in 1982. Carlos Alberto Torres was a newcomer in 1983, while Carlinhos was a homegrown solution in 1987 and 1992. Andrade could have thrown confetti at his work, but he took the path of gratitude.
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"People like Carlinhos and I know the club from the wardrobe to the cook. We won because we had a homegrown coaching staff that wants to work. We won because the group of players is fabulous. Adriano is calm and humble. Leonardo Moura, Toró, and Zé Roberto are great people. If I'm here, it's because they helped me. Petkovic is one of the players I identify with the most, perhaps because of his age," Andrade joked.
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\ With surveys, technician
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\ He assures that, during halftime of the game against Grêmio, he "pulled the ears" of the squad who, according to him, were not showing a spirit of decision. Is it possible\ to imagine Andrade raising his voice?
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\ - I didn't even need to, I was just a little stronger - he says.
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The coach admits that watching the title celebrations brought back memories of every moment he experienced at the club. Including the prejudice. Former star Júnior says that, as a manager, he couldn't hire Andrade because directors claimed that a "black man with poor diction" couldn't lead Flamengo. Andrade didn't change his mind:
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- In 2005, I took over with Adílio as an assistant. A youth director said it wouldn't work, that I was the "Flamengo vulture." You hear certain things and swallow them. I think I proved those people wrong. The important thing in life is the ending, and for me, it was a happy one.
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\ Not even uncertainty about the future shakes Andrade.
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"I've been asking for suggestions. If anyone wants one, put it on the club's letterhead and say I'm studying. But I want to stay at Flamengo. The board supported me. When they called me, they said they couldn't give me a big raise. I replied that the money wasn't important. I know I earn much less than other professionals. They'll certainly recognize me and offer something fair. This is an election year, so we have to be calm, even when it comes to reinforcements," said the coach, who believes the club should sign three or four players for the Libertadores.
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\But there is something in Andrade's future that is not uncertain. At least, he knows what he\will do in the coming days.
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"I'm the same man. I go to the supermarket and do housework because my wife works. I like to have a beer with friends and I haven't had time. And I'm going to play some matches with Flamengo's masters team. They're longtime friends," he said, before joking. "Petkovic has his place there, if he wants. But I think he'll play well for a long time to come."
Between Caymmi and Drummond, Angelim lives his day as an artist
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\ Scorer of the Brazilian title goal becomes a tourist attraction
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\ SURROUNDED BY
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\ Fabio Juppa
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Since Dorival Caymmi and Carlos Drummond de Andrade were honored with bronze statues at Posto 6, that little corner of Copacabana Beach has become even more charming. Already a tourist attraction, it's become a must-see. Yesterday afternoon, another character, a neighborhood resident but famous for his forays into other squares, stopped traffic, shared the spotlight with the composer and the poet, and only didn't boost sales at the fishing community right next door because his business isn't fishing. There was even an unsuspecting foreigner who said, "It's Pet," but it was Ronaldo Angelim, the most Carioca of Ceará's people, who, among people of all backgrounds and ages, awkwardly enjoyed his day as a red-and-black hero.
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"This isn't normal for me. Today is a very different day," joked the scorer of the goal that gave Flamengo its sixth Brazilian title, somewhat embarrassed. "But I knew it would happen one day. Even though I'm a shy person, sometimes you have to make sacrifices."
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\ Next step is to deal with the contract renewal
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Ronaldo Angelim's life story is made up of many of them, but the real sacrifice for the defender is leaving his intimacy behind and exposing himself to a nation the size of Flamengo. Since arriving in Rio four years ago, "Papada" (from goat), a nickname he earned from his teammates, quickly realized what it meant to be a Flamengo fan. In a short time, he accumulated much more than the recognition he already had as an idol at Fortaleza, another popular club. Sunday's victory was the fifth on his resume, a result, he says, of the family atmosphere that developed among the players and the foundation built in 2006.
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\ - We knew that, at some point, we would win something important. The\ structure is improving, salaries are
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On the field, Angelim already sees Flamengo as well-structured, especially defensively. With the exception of Fábio Luciano, who retired after winning the fifth state title, there have been few changes since winning the 2006 Copa do Brasil. Leonardo Moura, Juan, Angelim himself, and Toró, who replaced Maldonado in the sixth title campaign, are all holdovers from that title. And their sixth Brazilian title makes them the most successful group of players in the club's jersey since Zico's generation, regardless of quality. The defender is overjoyed, but prefers to share the credit with those who, in his opinion, made the difference:
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\ - The biggest credit goes to Andrade. We had been playing with three defenders for two years,\ and he had the courage to change the system, even though he heard that our wingers wouldn't\ know how to play with a line of four.
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The unprecedented fourth state championship, a title held by only Botafogo and Fluminense in Rio, is the first challenge of 2010, but Flamengo's greatest ambition is the Copa Libertadores. Seeded in Group 8, with Universidad de Chile, Caracas, and the winner of the playoff match between an Argentine and a Colombian team still undecided, the team risks being dismantled. Aírton is packing his bags for Benfica. Adriano has offers from Europe. The board's challenge is to maintain the core of the champion team. To do so, they will have to renew contracts.
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\ When he began planning for the next season, the vice-president of football\ Marcos Braz, whose permanence depends on the elected board, said that he would give\ priority to contracts that are about to end, such as Zé Roberto and\ Angelim, who will only stay if Flamengo does not want him to.
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\ - The club has priority. Only if that doesn't happen will I look for other situations.
Patrícia wins historic election at Fla
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\ First woman in office wants to maintain the structure of red-black football
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\ PATRÍCIA AMORIM, former swimmer and elected president of Fla, celebrates the victory in the pool, next to her son
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On a historic night in Gávea, Flamengo elected, for the first time in the history of Rio de Janeiro football, a woman as president of one of the city's major clubs. After a fiercely contested race, Patrícia Amorim defeated five other opponents and will lead Flamengo for the next three years. She takes office on January 5th.
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Patrícia Amorim received a total of 792 votes. She surpassed Delair Dumbrosck, Flamengo's vice president, by 93 votes. Dumbrosck was the second most voted with 699 votes. Clóvis Sahione came in third with 388, followed by Plínio Serpa Pinto with 311. Pedro Ferrer came in fifth with 89 votes, while Lysias Itapicuru had 49. Adding the blank and spoiled votes to these numbers, there were 2.342 voting members, much higher than the 1.684 voters in the club's last vote in 2006.
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"Being the first female president of the biggest club in the world is the biggest dream anyone can have. I dreamed it and made it come true. I go to sleep happy and wake up tomorrow worried," said Patrícia.
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\ President had great support from Olympic athletes
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\ She inherits a club with debts exceeding R$300 million, but experiencing a\ positive moment in football after winning the sixth Brazilian championship.
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\ Patrícia Amorim's plans include maintaining the working structure of the\ football department, which led the club to its sixth Brazilian championship.\ Patrícia wants to keep Marcos Braz as vice-president of football and Andrade as\ coach.
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\ - I want to keep this team and look for reinforcements - he said.
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\ Internally, she advocates for a reform of the club's statute, assigning\ responsibility to the directors.
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"The first step is to propose a change to the bylaws so that directors are punished if they misuse club resources," said Patrícia, also advocating for the restructuring of the Gávea headquarters. "We will make a great effort to have a headquarters worthy of Flamengo's greatness, where members are well treated and have good accommodations."
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\ With strong support from the club's Olympic athletes, former swimmer and current councilwoman\ Patrícia Amorim promised to provide better training conditions.
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"Flamengo athletes will have better equipment and better training conditions. We will solve the club's problems together," he stated.
Fla is also champion at the box office
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\ Rubro-negros surpass Atlético-MG fans in the last round
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\ Bernardo Pombo
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The 2009 Brazilian Championship ended Sunday with a milestone to be celebrated. The average attendance of 17.801 fans per game was the best since
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For the third year in a row, Flamengo confirmed the best average attendance as home team. There were 40.035 fans per match at Maracanã, a number that surpassed Atlético-MG's attendance only in the last round, showing that the competition was also electrifying in this regard. The Minas Gerais team, with 38.761 per game, was ahead of São Paulo (in 3rd, with 26.305), Fluminense (in 4th, with 22.042) and Cruzeiro (in 5th, with 21.973).
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\ In the history of the Brazilian Championship, this was the 12th time that Flamengo had the\ best attendance, followed by Atlético-MG (10 times); Corinthians (5); Bahia (3);\ Fluminense, Internacional and Cruzeiro (2); Palmeiras, Vasco and Grêmio (1).
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\ Eight largest audiences were recorded at Maracanã
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After good attendance in the 1980s, Brazilian football saw a significant decline in the following years. In 1987, attendance was 20.877 per match, a number that fell dramatically to 10.222 in 1994 and 8.073 in 2004. The increase to 17.801 this year was marked mainly by the balance, which provided excitement until the last round, keeping the stadiums full.
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\ Furthermore, the fans have once again understood that they can "make a\ difference," as the red-blacks said in a huge mosaic in the game against\ Goiás. Cuca, Fluminense's coach, summed up the fans' explosion of enthusiasm well:
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\ - The fans don't go to the stadium to have fun, but to work with us.
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At the bottom of this year's rankings is Barueri, which had just 3.691 fans per match, following Ipatinga (MG), Juventude (RS), and São Caetano (SP), which had the worst attendances in recent years. In Série B, Vasco's average attendance (25.730) was the best, followed by Ceará's fans, who put in 22.617 per game. Both are back among the Brazilian soccer elite.
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\ Duque de Caxias has the worst numbers across all four divisions. Unable to play at its stadium in Baixada Fluminense, the club moved its games to Volta Redonda, where it had just five paying spectators against Ponte Preta and 22 against Brasiliense and Ipatinga.
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On the other side of the coin, the healthiest competition of the season came in the record-breaking duel for attendance in a single game. Rio de Janeiro soccer put on a show, achieving the eight best ticket sales of the season in Series A and B of the Brazilian Championship, all at the Maracanã. Flamengo drew 78.639 paying spectators against Grêmio and Goiás, 77.063 against Santos, 68.217 against Atlético-PR, and the majority of the 78.409 against Fluminense. Vasco drew 78.609 against Juventude and 76.211 against Ipatinga. Fluminense, in turn, drew 64.194 paying spectators against Palmeiras.
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\ The Santa Cruz (PE) fans, even in Série D, deserve applause for the average of\ 38.246 paying spectators per game.
The route to the conquest of America passes through Chile and Venezuela
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\ Fla already knows two opponents in the first phase of the Libertadores
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\ UNIVERSIDAD DO Chile, rival Flamengo in the Libertadores, in a game with Flu
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Brazilian champion Flamengo already knows its group in the 2010 Copa Libertadores. However, it only knows two of its three opponents in the first phase of the competition. According to the draw held last week, Flamengo is in Group 8. In the group, it will face Universidad de Chile and Caracas of Venezuela. The third opponent will emerge from a Libertadores preliminary clash between an Argentine and a Chilean team. However, one thing is certain: the team is free from the threat of altitude in the first phase.
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\ Argentine giants
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The teams that will decide the final spot in Flamengo's group will be determined in the coming days. For Argentina, Colón and Lanús have the best chance of playing in the match. Newell's Old Boys is another possible team. Boca Juniors and River Plate are out of the running.
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The Chilean team that will play this match will be determined next Wednesday. On that occasion, Colo-Colo and Universidad Catolica will play the final of the Clausura Tournament. If Colo-Colo wins, they will advance to the group stage, and Universidad Catolica will play in the Libertadores preliminary round, competing for a spot in Flamengo's group. If Universidad Catolica wins,
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Estudiantes, the champions of the last edition, and Velez Sarsfield, the champions of the Clausura Tournament, are the two Argentine clubs that already know they will enter directly into the group stage. The same applies to the Apertura champion, which is in its final rounds and is led by Banfield. Three other teams qualify based on the highest points from both tournaments. The two lowest-ranked teams will advance to the Libertadores preliminary round.
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The other Brazilians already know their Libertadores group. Copa do Brasil champion Corinthians is in Group 1, along with Cerro Porteño of Paraguay, a Colombian team, and the winner of the match between Racing Club of Uruguay and another Colombian team. Inter, the Brazilian runner-up, is in Group 5, along with Cerro Porteño of Uruguay, a team from Ecuador, and the winner of the Libertadores preliminary match between an Argentine and an Ecuadorian team. São Paulo is in Group 2, along with Once Caldas of Colombia, a Paraguayan team, and a Mexican team. Cruzeiro will play the Libertadores preliminary match against Real Potosí of Bolivia.
Rainbow fans set the tone on the streets
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\ Flamengo, Fluminense and Botafogo fans proudly show their colors\ one day after the end of the Brazilian Championship
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\ EDNO PULGA and his little dog Pulguinha wear red and black at Largo da Carioca
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\ FANS WALK in the Center: tricolor and red-black side by side
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\ CARLOS ALBERTO FARIAS sells toy vultures in Saara, in the Center
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\ BLACK AND WHITE FAN gives thumbs up: happy to stay in Série A
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Instead of uniting against a particular team, as has happened on numerous occasions and in various championships, fans of Flamengo, Fluminense, and Botafogo gathered yesterday in the streets of Rio to celebrate their achievements. Even though the fight to avoid relegation doesn't guarantee a trophy, the Tricolor and Botafogo fans showed off their jerseys with the same pride as champion Flamengo. And what's best: everything was peaceful, a beautiful example for other fan bases to follow, especially Coritiba's.
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"I went to welcome Fluminense at the airport with my husband. He wore a red and black shirt and I wore a tricolor shirt. Today (yesterday), Rio de Janeiro is all of us." It's a show of strength for the other states - said Maryzete D'Avilla.
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From the beaches of the South Zone and Barra da Tijuca to the streets of the Center and North Zone, the cloudy day was brightened by the colors of the three teams. At times, they were joined by Vasco fans, still celebrating their return to the First Division with the Série B title.
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- We are champions of two divisions and the four are in the First. And Duque de Caxias represents us in Series B - said the black and white Durval Meirelles.
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Showing your love for your team can also be a fun activity. At Largo da Carioca, Edno Pulga and his dog Pulguinha, both dressed in red and black and wearing a six-time champion's sash, were riding their bikes. In Saara, Carlos Alberto Farias, properly bandaged, was selling toy vultures. Nearby, a family walked peacefully and together, their fans in perfect harmony.
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At the Church of Saint Jude Thaddeus, Flamengo's patron saint, fan Jacke Mades prayed. To give thanks for the miracle of this historic comeback, Tricolor fans went to the Church of Our Lady of Glory, the club's patron saint, in Largo do Machado. One fan carried a photo of Pope John Paul II. But yesterday, John of God's blessing extended to all teams.
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Ancelmo Gois Column
Oh, my Mengão...
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\ On the Gol São Paulo-Rio flight, at 11 am on Sunday, the captain wished the red-blacks good luck against Grêmio.
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\ Herbert Vianna, on board, asked to use the sound system and launched into "Oh,\ my Mengão, I like you...", accompanied by the passengers' chorus.
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\ Wearing the shirt
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\ Despite BR Distribuidora's interest in wearing Fla's shirt again,\ Ale, the club's current sponsor, will try to renew the partnership in 2010.
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\ Businessman Marcelo Alecrim, owner of Ale, has a meeting scheduled tomorrow with\ Fla.
Supreme is ours
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\ On Sunday, Flamengo fans were celebrating at the Capricciosa pizzeria in Jardim\ Botânico when the Supreme Court minister Marco\ Aurélio Mello, a red-black and purple fan, also arrived from Maracanã.
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\ The class joined in: "Aha, woohoo! The Supreme is ours!"
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\ See you then
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\ Believe it or not. A Flamengo fan website has appeared in Russia.
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\ On Sunday, the Moscow comrades celebrated the Brazilian title in earnest.\ Check it out at www.flamengo-rus.ru.
AS THE SAYS
João de Barro's marchinha, "Rio anheceu anheceu singing" - and dressed in red and black, like Ildi Silva, the beautiful actress, who happily celebrated Flamengo's sixth championship at Vale Open Air. In fact, joy took over the poor, the rich, and the well-off, in the victory that became a unique topic in Rio. Rio, in fact, is experiencing an enlightened phase. After being chosen to host the 2014 World Cup final and the 2014 Olympic Games, it becomes the city with the most teams in the first division of our soccer, because Fluminense and Botafogo stayed, and Vasco returned. Rio, I like you
Fortune ball
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\ Fila should end the year with around 100 thousand Botafogo shirts sold.
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Vasco, in the last two weeks of the Brazilian Serie B, sold 40 limited edition shirts. Each one cost R$170. The batch sold out quickly. Flamengo, meanwhile, sold 1,055 million official shirts from July 1st until yesterday.
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\ I.e...
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\ The football industry, on the day that football is managed efficiently and ethically, will burst its bubble.
Column\Calazans
The common man
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\ If Dorival Júnior was so excited about winning the Second Division championship, to the point of finding his salary at Vasco, close to R$300, insufficient, imagine what Andrade - champion of the First Division - must think about his salary at Flamengo... Imagine. The difference, too, is that Andrade is a different person, very different from the celebrities who are his colleagues.
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In the age of celebrities, the press courts and admires coaches who have become football stars much more, that is, those who have the pose of... that's right... celebrities. And there's no shortage of them.
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\ Even so, I think Andrade is wrong in his outburst that the press didn't believe him. I know Andrade's outburst is different too; it's not bad-tempered, it's not aggressive, it's not that of a professor or a commander-in-chief. It's the outburst of an ordinary man, a normal, balanced person, and therefore, worthy of my sympathy.
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It's true that few believed in Andrade when he took over - but for a fair reason. Andrade didn't really have any significant work that would qualify him for such a task. Now he does. He's shown that he has it.
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\That's why, Andrade, the press already sees you differently, with the respect you deserve, as a human being and as a professional. I see you as I always did in your playing days: with admiration.
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\ I admire your discretion, the elegance of your posture. The same discretion with which you assembled\ the team (with very few interviews and explanations), the same discretion with which,\ after a quick shower on the field, you dove into the locker room tunnel to\ celebrate the title almost alone, while the players, with good reason,\ went on a spree on the pitch (a spree, in the best sense) and then went on a spree at night (now, in the worst sense).
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\ The pleasure that Flamengo's title gave me was because of him, Andrade, who is from\ a time before celebrities (the press was too). Will\ Andrade change now?
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\ Just as I rooted for your success, I root for you not to change. I imagine I'll get it right again. Andrade has a sincere, authentic, and strong personality—\ strong, authentic, and sincere enough to preserve it.
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\ And he has been champion many times: three times, four times, five times, six times, he is...
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\By the way, Flamengo has, fortunately, some serene, decent, and handsome personalities like Andrade. Ronaldo Angelim, for example. He was blessed by destiny: the goal he scored in the championship, his only one, was precisely\the goal of the championship. Petkovic has more of a star's air, a star's, which is\legitimate, if he also has an elegant demeanor—like his. In times of frivolity, like today's, it doesn't seem so, but it still helps a lot.
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\ As they had no rivals in sight - and they really didn't - Flamengo fans fought amongst themselves, in elite neighborhoods in Rio, such as Leblon and Gávea,\ in, let's say, title "celebrations."
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\ Fans? No, they don't deserve that description. They were pitboys, vandals,\ troglodytes, out there, who disguise themselves as people from upscale neighborhoods.
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\ Not that it reached the dimension of the savagery of the Coritiba fans, who destroyed\ their own stadium and who deserve the most severe punishment ever imposed in\ football conflicts in this country.
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\ Even so, an attitude (that of the red-black vandals) that compromises the\ latest sporting victories of Rio - starting, of course, with that of\ Flamengo itself.
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Column\Good People
It's the Pet, it's the Pet
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\ "Melô do Pet" (Pet's Melô), a funk song by MC Robinho in homage to Petkovic, appears with a summer feel. It has a catchy chorus, "It's Pet, it's Pet, it's Pet," and continues with "we have the emperor but we also have Pet/ the king of the Olympic goal and the goalkeeper doesn't even move." The fans adopted "Pet" instead of "créu."
Column\ Renato Mauricio Prado
Email\imperial
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"Dear President, now I can tell you, because I know that, as a Flamengo fan, you must be thrilled as much as I am. That's why I decided to open my heart to confess and thank you: I owe a good part of this title to you! It all started in September of last year, when I learned of your decision to resume training at Gávea. Man, I was so jealous! In a good way, of course."
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\"Then, to my surprise, a short time later, I read, there in Milan, that you\ had signed with Corinthians! I got a fright and thought: you've gone crazy! Something\ that, from what I've been told, you yourself admitted, when you announced to the fans that\ another crazy person was arriving. Well, to each his own...
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\ Although disappointed, as a Flamengo fan, as a fan and friend, I continued to root for\ your success. Truly. And it was the day you scored that first goal,\ against Palmeiras, with a header, that my head went crazy. If you're as chubby as you are (you even knocked down the fence, man!), I was about to get a little soft...
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\ About a month later, on vacation in Brazil, I got the courage and decided not to\ go back. You know how it is. That group at Inter Milan is always on our backs... You can't do this, you can't do that... I'm fed up, man!
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\ And it was thinking about your example and the gap you had left in our Mengão, that\ I took courage, gave my manager a hard time, and kicked the bucket, saying: that's\ where I want to go. I'm going to try to do what the President promised, but didn't\ fulfill.
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\ I arrived quietly and found a 100% environment (I think your previous story\ ended up making things easier for me). And it turned out as it did! I ended up realizing your\ dream, which, in fact, was also mine.
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\ It's a shame we haven't been able to cross paths yet
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\But it won't be anything. I really hope we meet in the\Libertadores. If possible, in the final! Can you imagine? Dreaming costs nothing...
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\ Oh, I almost forgot: my grandmother asked me to send you a tray of pastries\ the kind that only she knows how to make - but you can't overdo it, otherwise we'll end up\ that weight we had before the World Cup in Germany, remember?
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\ I'm also sending you a Brazilian champion's sash. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have won it. There's going to be a big party this weekend, up on the rooftop. If you can,\ come along.
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\ A big hug, with the same friendship and admiration as always, from the Emperor.
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\ PS 1: This is so good, right? You don't even need to train every day, you can have some barbecues, some partying, amazing babes...
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\ PS 2: I tried to bring up that subject with Dunga. But it didn't work out and I suspect that\ your film is a bit burned... Take care, brother!"
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The above email was "psychographed" by Bagá. Just like the conversation, in the vacant lot, with the stray goat and the spirit of Nelson Rodrigues. In fact, the brilliant playwright got 100% of his most optimistic predictions right...
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\ Raul Brasil swears that, at the beginning of the year, he met a friend who thought he was a prophet who\ assured him that Flamengo would be Brazilian champions, with a goal from Ronaldo.\ He didn't take it very seriously and even got angry with his teammate, when the\ Phenomenon signed with Corinthians.
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\ But on Sunday, the prophecy was fulfilled...
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\ Maestro Paulo César is not a numerologist, but he put together a series of interesting coincidences in relation to coach Andrade, who won Flamengo's sixth championship:
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\ 1 - He played with the number 6 shirt.
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\ 2 - He was the author of the sixth red-black goal in the historic revenge over Botafogo\ (returning the
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\ 3 - With Sunday's victory, he became the only team to have won the Brazilian Championship six times (five with Fla, one with Vasco).
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\ 4 - Fate would have it that Andrade's sixth title happened precisely on the day that Flamengo (the club where he rose to prominence) also won its sixth national title.
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\5 - And didn't that happen on the 6th?
The tricolor\ Humberto Medrado caught, in the Couto Pereira stands, a fan\ holding the following sign:
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\ "Tristan, Oswald and my mother-in-law don't understand anything about mathematics."
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\ Rumor has it that only the mother-in-law demanded the right to reply...
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\ Bruno Manhães is another one who makes fun of football mathematicians:
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\"When Flamengo and Fluminense entered the field to face each other in the\ second round (Flamengo's victory by
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\ It must be the fault of that "mathemagic", my dear...
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\ From the relieved Botafogo fan Cláudio Thompson Tavares, about the glorious afternoon of Rio football, last Sunday:
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\ - Like Fla's title and the salvation of Flu and Botafogo, the day of Saint Sebastian\ (patron saint of the city) should be moved from January 20th to December 6th.
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\ May there be a miracle!
SPORTS JOURNAL
Ronaldo Angelim: "I'm very happy to play for a club of this magnitude"
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Bruno Braga\ bbraga@jsports.com.br
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Mauricio\ Val/VIPCOMM
Rio de Janeiro: Flamengo didn't play well in the decisive match against Grêmio. To be crowned champion, the club had to win the match at all costs, since Internacional and São Paulo, direct title contenders, were winning their games. Until the 24th minute of the second half, Andrade's team didn't create any opportunities to score the winning goal.
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Ronaldo Angelim, who scored the winning goal and headed in Petkovic's cross, knows the importance of winning a sixth Brazilian Championship title. But the feat won't change his defensive stance.
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"I'm a very calm person. Things don't go to my head. In a few years, this will pass. What matters is that I'm in the club's history, just like all the players. I have to thank the Flamengo fans. I'm very happy to play for a club of this magnitude," said Ronaldo.
Angelim in an interview with Rádio Tupi.
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The title hero's contract expires at the end of this year. He hasn't yet been approached by Flamengo's board to renew. If he chooses to do so, he will extend his contract with the red-and-black club.
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"I've already said that Flamengo has priority in renewing with me. We'll wait to see what happens. If they call us to renew, we'll renew," Angelim assured.
Adriano is the Golden Ball winner of Placar
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In addition to the Emperor, Pet\ takes a silver ball
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São Paulo: It was a truly special year for Adriano. After controversy and various problems in Italy, the player arrived in Brazilian football completely discredited. It seemed he had lost his will to play. With calm and hard work, Adriano regained his reign on the field. This reign was rewarded this Monday at the Bola de Prata awards ceremony, given by Placar magazine, which chooses the best of the year in each position.
Adriano achieved the golden treble, a rarity at the awards ceremony. He won as striker, top scorer, and best player of the competition, for which he received the honorable Golden Ball. Along with him, Pet received the Silver Ball for midfielder, along with Marcelinho Paraíba of the relegated Coxa.
The players awarded in this edition were:
GOALKEEPER: Victor – Grêmio
FULL BACKS: Jonathan – Cruzeiro; Kleber – Internacional
DEFENDERS: Miranda and André Dias – São Paulo
STEERING WHEELS: Guiñazu – Internacional; Pierre – Palmeiras
MIDFIELDERS: Petkovic – Flamengo; Marcelinho\ Paraíba – Coritiba
FORWARDS: Adriano – Flamengo; Diego Tardelli – Atlético-MG\
TOP SCORERS: Adriano – Flamengo; Diego Tardelli – Atlético-MG
GOLDEN BALL: Adriano – Flamengo
GOLDEN BOOTS: Diego Tardelli – Atlético-MG
"Emperor will stay!"
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After winning the title, Flamengo players went to a club in Barra da Tijuca, in the West Zone of Rio, to celebrate the victory. Ronaldo was a VIP guest at the party.
Even with the presence of the Phenomenon, the Emperor remained the center of attention, and the entire team, together in a chorus, surrounded the player and began to shout: - The Emperor will stay!
Adriano is being targeted by many European clubs, such as Roma, for example, but so far he has not received any official proposal.
Andrade is not fooled by the title: "Rio de Janeiro, in general, needs to improve its structure"
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Rio de Janeiro: Flamengo's sixth Brazilian title broke São Paulo's three-year run. It was the first title won by a Rio de Janeiro team in a points-based championship. However, Fluminense and Botafogo went into the final round seriously at risk of relegation to Série B.
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\ Coach Andrade, holder of six Brazilian Championship titles, five as a player and one as a coach, warns Rio de Janeiro clubs to start\ organizing themselves and return to having great campaigns in national championships.
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"Rio de Janeiro, in general, needs to improve its structure. We\ have put together great teams here in the state, but we leave a lot to be desired when it comes to\ structure and we need to improve on that, to match the clubs from São Paulo,\ Minas Gerais and Rio Grande do Sul", admitted Andrade.
Bruno thought that the title would escape him
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Rio de Janeiro Nothing in the life of a Flamengo fan is easy. If getting a ticket to a Flamengo match was already a daunting task, this match was no different. With a lot of determination, Grêmio came determined to disrupt the Rio de Janeiro team's plans to win the sixth title, contrary to what the Colorados, São Paulo, and Alviverdes had expected.
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The Tricolor Gaúcho opened the scoring in the first half, but Flamengo came back and won their sixth Brasileirão title. For goalkeeper Bruno, the Grêmio goal made him fear another defeat like the one in the Libertadores in 2008.
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"I thought: 'My God!' I thought it could be the same as the game against América from Mexico. But the group overcame everything and we won the title," said the team captain.
Léo Moura on Flamengo: "I want to stay here forever"
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Rio de Janeiro - Full-back Leonardo Moura has made history at Flamengo. After winning the Brazilian championship title, Leo swore his undying love for the red-and-black team and said he never wants to leave.
"It's exciting to be part of the history of a club like Flamengo. It's priceless. It's hard to hold back the tears and I just have to be thankful. I can't ask for anything more. I want to stay here forever, for the rest of my life," said the number 2, who was rejected at Gávea when he was a kid and ended up starting his career at rival Botafogo's youth academy, then playing for Vasco, Palmeiras, São Paulo, Fluminense and Sporting Braga before arriving at Flamengo.
THE DAY
Emperor commands the hex ball
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BY\ JANIR JUNIOR
Rio - The official title party at a steakhouse in the South Zone was ignored by players of Flamengo, who preferred to go to the big ball organized by Adriano at the Marapendi Club, in Barra. Among the guests was Ronaldo, who arrived accompanied by his wife, Bia Anthony, and immediately joked with the Emperor: "You learned well, huh?!". In addition to the title, the red-and-black striker also celebrated the birthday of his girlfriend, Cássia Menega, cried when he was surrounded by players shouting 'Emperor will stay' and showed off the present who gave himself: a white Audi Q7, which arrived on Saturday and cost approximately R$280.
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The party was livened up by samba artist Dudu Nobre, the pagode group Bom Gosto, MC Naldo, and lots of funk. The highlight was when Adriano, accompanied by Petkovic, performed in the party room to the sounds of the foreigner's hit: 'It's Pet, it's Pet, it's Pet.' Everton, Willians, Diego, and Zé Roberto surrounded the two.
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"The party was really good. This group is a family, very close-knit. At the celebration, that was very clear," said Léo Moura, who was also present. Only Bruno and Ronaldo Angelim didn't go to the celebration.
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AFFECTION FROM COMPANIONS
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At a certain point during the celebration, the players surrounded Adriano, shouting 'The Emperor will stay'. The player cried profusely and moved everyone.
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\ Another emotional moment was when everyone sang the song 'Faith in God', which\ gained strength in the voice of Diogo Nogueira. The verses say 'for those who think that\