Complete happiness at the Manto Sagrado Contest awards ceremony (Week III). Just over half an hour before the start of the final that would give Flamengo dominance in Rio de Janeiro's championships last Sunday, five of the 11 winners enjoyed every minute at Maracanã: they ran to the fans, sang the chants, cheered, and jumped. For many, it was their first chance to step onto the stadium's turf.
"It's indescribable. This is my life. Flamengo is everything to me," said Fabio Gonçalves, 30, a resident of Jacarepaguá, who won the number 2 jersey from Léo Moura. His voice message was selected as one of the winners. In it, Fabio said his love for Flamengo is so great that he named his two sons Arthur [the star Zico] and Cantarelli [the club's goalkeeper between the 70s and 80s].
According to Cintia Maria de Paula Costa, a resident of Belford Roxo, in Greater Rio de Janeiro, who won the jersey via SMS, she won't be sold or loaned. "I'm freezing, almost fainting. I'm shaking," she confessed, meters below a packed grandstand. Another emotional figure was Vanusa Ramos de Macedo, from the Vila da Penha neighborhood in Rio's North Zone. "I never imagined I'd be here, stepping onto this field," she explained, already wearing Airton's number 14 jersey.
For Antônio Jorge Alves Ribeiro, a São Gonçalo resident selected by voice message, the feeling was reminiscent of the moment his children were born. "I'll cherish this for the rest of my life," he said, with Ibson's jersey on his chest. According to Hermínio Correa, the winner in the video category, who traveled from Curitiba especially to watch the final, the feeling of being on the field is special. "It's the first time I've been on it. It's really good," he remarked, holding a jersey belonging to then-captain Fabio Luciano.
Ricardo Hinrichsen, executive director of marketing, who presented the awards to the fans, emphasized the importance of holding the awards ceremony at Maracanã. "It's crucial for people to see that they can win too."
One more chance to win - Contest number V has already begun. Interested parties can now send unlimited SMS and record messages, as well as submit videos with their declarations of love. The cost and conditions are in the Contest Rules.
The contest has three entry options: each requires you to declare your love for Flamengo. If you want to use your cell phone, simply send an SMS to 49400 with the word "Fla" followed by your declaration of love for the club (maximum 165 characters, including the word "Fla").
The same goes for those who use landlines (or Oi cell phones or Nextel) and send a voice message. To participate, call (21) 7802 0220 and leave a voice message with your declaration of love.
The authors of the five entries selected by the Judging Panel in each of these categories will each receive a jersey autographed by the player who wore the shirt. The judging panel will be appointed by Flamengo's Marketing Department.
The deadline for submitting SMS and voice messages is May 10th, until midnight (Brasília time). Video submissions can be submitted until 24 p.m. (Brasília time) on May 07th, and voting ends on May 18th, until 08 p.m. (Brasília time). The counting and judging will take place on May 18th, and the winners will be announced on May 11th.
The initiative, part of a plan to generate resources for the club's soccer, was launched in early April. Since then, four weekly contests have been held, corresponding to each State Championship match. In addition to many Rio de Janeiro residents, there are winners from all regions of the country and even a Brazilian based in Shanghai, China.
More information: www.flamantosagrado.com.br or on the Contest's social networks on Orkut, Facebook and Twitter (links on the hotsite).