Rubro-negros travel more than 25 hours to see Mengão in the Libertadores
Three friends left Roraima to watch Flamengo and Caracas with their faces and courage
By From the team at Flamengo's official website - in
CARACAS – What would you do to see Flamengo play? Think, really think, and see if you could do it again. Three Flamengo fans from Roraima decided to go on an adventure. As soon as they heard about the match between Flamengo and Caracas, which will be played this Wednesday (March 10.03th) at 22 p.m. (Brasília time) in the Venezuelan capital, they decided to leave home and go to the game. As the Caetano Veloso song goes: "Without a handkerchief and without a document."
Traders Ronaldo de Freitas, José dos Reis, and Adonias Bastos left everything behind and set off to pursue a shared dream: to see Flamengo play. It was a 25-hour journey, with many setbacks along the way, but in the end, it was all worth it. Not before they got a big scare.
"The road from Roraima to Venezuela was complicated. We passed through several police checkpoints. They always tried to slow us down, always wanting more. We didn't have much to give, but we managed to get to Caracas. Then came the despair. We didn't have tickets and they weren't selling them anymore. We were very sad, but we decided to at least watch the training session. To our surprise, and great joy, we managed to get to the club's delegation and got our tickets. We also got to take pictures with everyone," said Ronaldo, who explained how the idea began.
"A week ago, everything was already set. However, Adonias didn't have a passport (a requirement for entering Venezuelan territory) and had to get one in British Guiana, since he leaves on the same day. From there, we left. It was more than 1.500km, but today, the joy is immense."
The fans, who had never seen a Flamengo game, clarified that they would, indeed, do the same thing if necessary.
"It's really worth being here. To see Flamengo up close and go through everything we went through today, we would do it all again," said José dos Reis.
And that was the trio's first crazy act. However, the challenge was only postponed due to a car accident that occurred on the eve of the last game of the 2009 Brasileirão, where Flamengo won its sixth championship.
"I only didn't travel to Rio, for Flamengo and Grêmio, last year, because they crashed my car. If it weren't for that, I would have already realized my dream," explained Ronaldo de Freitas.
And anyone who thinks they don't have family is completely mistaken. Ronaldo and Adonias are married, but, curiously, they received support from their wives to go and watch their favorite club.
"There's no such thing as prohibiting it or complaining about anything. They're Flamengo fans and wanted to come along. It didn't work out, but they were rooting for us. Not just our wives, but the whole family. When they found out we were coming here, everyone wanted to come along," Adonias revealed, making a point of saying that the distance doesn't diminish their love for the Red-Black team.
"In Roraima, 70% of the people are Flamengo fans. We don't have football there, and everyone supports Mengão together. During the sixth championship, in Boa Vista, we closed the city's main square. It was a huge celebration there," concluded José dos Reis.
Traders Ronaldo de Freitas, José dos Reis, and Adonias Bastos left everything behind and set off to pursue a shared dream: to see Flamengo play. It was a 25-hour journey, with many setbacks along the way, but in the end, it was all worth it. Not before they got a big scare.
"The road from Roraima to Venezuela was complicated. We passed through several police checkpoints. They always tried to slow us down, always wanting more. We didn't have much to give, but we managed to get to Caracas. Then came the despair. We didn't have tickets and they weren't selling them anymore. We were very sad, but we decided to at least watch the training session. To our surprise, and great joy, we managed to get to the club's delegation and got our tickets. We also got to take pictures with everyone," said Ronaldo, who explained how the idea began.
"A week ago, everything was already set. However, Adonias didn't have a passport (a requirement for entering Venezuelan territory) and had to get one in British Guiana, since he leaves on the same day. From there, we left. It was more than 1.500km, but today, the joy is immense."
The fans, who had never seen a Flamengo game, clarified that they would, indeed, do the same thing if necessary.
"It's really worth being here. To see Flamengo up close and go through everything we went through today, we would do it all again," said José dos Reis.
And that was the trio's first crazy act. However, the challenge was only postponed due to a car accident that occurred on the eve of the last game of the 2009 Brasileirão, where Flamengo won its sixth championship.
"I only didn't travel to Rio, for Flamengo and Grêmio, last year, because they crashed my car. If it weren't for that, I would have already realized my dream," explained Ronaldo de Freitas.
And anyone who thinks they don't have family is completely mistaken. Ronaldo and Adonias are married, but, curiously, they received support from their wives to go and watch their favorite club.
"There's no such thing as prohibiting it or complaining about anything. They're Flamengo fans and wanted to come along. It didn't work out, but they were rooting for us. Not just our wives, but the whole family. When they found out we were coming here, everyone wanted to come along," Adonias revealed, making a point of saying that the distance doesn't diminish their love for the Red-Black team.
"In Roraima, 70% of the people are Flamengo fans. We don't have football there, and everyone supports Mengão together. During the sixth championship, in Boa Vista, we closed the city's main square. It was a huge celebration there," concluded José dos Reis.