Botafogo fans disappoint and the red-and-blacks are the majority in the first final of the State Championship

GLOBOESPORTE.COM

Flamengo fans' banner "Biggest fan base in the world" at Maracanã

During the week, Zé Carlos bet that Botafogo fans could share the Maracanã equally with Flamengo fans. But that didn't happen. In the first leg of the Campeonato Carioca final, the narrow scoreline only existed on the field. In the stands, Flamengo dominated.

Of the 63 paying spectators, a military police officer present at the stadium estimated that 50 were red-and-black fans. Visually, the difference was stark. The black-and-white fans couldn't fill the green section completely. The yellow section had several flashes.

According to self-employed Francisco Guilherme, the situation was caused by two factors:

"The team was severely understaffed. And in classic matches against Flamengo, some Botafogo fans are afraid of violence. But even so, I expected more from my fans," says the Botafogo fan.

Even outnumbered, the black and whites tried to push the team to victory. They even had some good moments, it's true. Especially on free kicks near the box, when Lucio Flavio's hope fueled a show of rotating shirts.

But, at least in the first game of the final, the red-and-blacks won. Two beautiful banners (pictured) were unveiled, replacing the ones bearing the names of the organized fan groups. One read "Nação rubro-negra" (Rubro-Negra Nation), and the other added "A maior torcida do mundo" (The Biggest Fan Group in the World). The red-and-blacks, far outnumbered by the crowd, left the stadium shouting "Cry Again," provoking the Botafogo fans.

Next Sunday, because of the advantage, the red-blacks are demanding that the yellow part of the Botafogo stands be theirs.

"It was a massacre. Everyone was crammed in on our side. They could have watched the game lying down if they wanted. For security reasons, the military police should have given Flamengo their yellow jersey," says Wilson Gregório, 25.