He is the author of the video “Rubro-negro na China” (See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvwnISa9cH8).
Living in Shanghai, administrator Pedro Grossi Neto was the first announced winner of the Manto Sagrado Cultural Competition, an initiative of Clube de Regatas do Flamengo that is part of a project that aims to contribute to the sustainability of the football department.
Grossi Neto, 30, born on December 3, 1978 ("the day Rondinelli scored the winning goal against Vasco," he makes a point of remembering), works for a large mining company headquartered in Brazil with an office in the vast Asian country. To win, he produced a video highlighting the difficulties of watching Flamengo games from the other side of the world. "With the end of daylight saving time, playing at 16 p.m. in Brazil means waking up here at 2:50 a.m. Since most games are on Sundays, in China it's already Monday. To avoid compromising my work performance, I go to bed at 19:30 p.m. on Sunday and wake up in the middle of the night on Monday. After the game, I stay in bed until 8 a.m. and then go to work. I make this effort because I'm certain Flamengo deserves it. Flamengo is my life," he states.
Another challenge is the lack of TV broadcasts. "Following Flamengo has been an adventure since the first day I arrived here. Initially, my cousin would position the webcam in front of the television, and we'd connect via Skype. Later, I installed equipment in Brazil that allows TV broadcasts over the internet, but there was a problem with the communication port. For a few months now, I've been following the game via a website, but sometimes it's down or the connection is very poor. In these cases, I despair. I don't like following the game via online commentary systems—I don't think it brings any luck. Internet radio is another solution, but the delay is very long, and sometimes I hear about a goal via MSN before the radio broadcast. It's very annoying."
According to him, due to connection issues, he had to rely on the help of a Vasco da Gama fan friend in Brazil to register his video. "From then on, the campaign for votes began—multiplication, really. I sent it to my list, my mother sent it to hers, and people followed suit. A lot of people asked me if I got the Chinese to vote. But I didn't." His video received over 5.546 votes, 2.306 more than the second-place vote.
Grossi Neto is eager to receive the award. The number 4 jersey, worn by Ronaldo Angelim in the Fla-Flu match in the eighth round of the Taça Rio, has already been mailed to his address in Brazil. "Having the jersey without sponsorship was a dream. I knew this would be the only chance to win the jersey from the first match without sponsorship. Truly historic! Today I know I'm part of the club's history. I can't wait to receive the jersey in person! I've already received countless requests from friends wanting to see a photo of the jersey. I promise this photo will be taken somewhere typical of China to show that our club is truly the greatest club in the world," he says, dedicating it to Madá, an employee at FlaBoutique, who always helped him when he frequented Gávea.
More jerseys - The Manto Sagrado Contest continues. Fans can win the jersey worn by the players in the Taça Rio final against Botafogo. To participate, interested parties must send an SMS text message to 49400, type the word "Fla" (Flamengo), and then write their declaration of love for Mengão. Using the voice portal, the message must be sent by landline, Oi Celular, or Nextel. Simply leave a voice message to (21) 7802 0220 with your declaration of love for Flamengo. There are five jerseys for each of these sports, all autographed. Call costs and full rules are available on the website www.flamantosagrado.com.br.
Anyone wishing to submit a video must publish a video on YouTube declaring their love for the Most Beloved. Then, register on the Manto Sagrado Hotsite and provide the video link (Embed). The video with the most votes on the Hotsite will win an autographed jersey worn by a player in the derby against Botafogo.
More information: www.flamantosagrado.com.br