Paulistanos are the ones who go to the stadium the least.

Datafolha survey reveals that only 15% of fans in the capital of São Paulo say they support their team from the stands

The index of the city that is home to Corinthians, São Paulo and Palmeiras is below the national average of 21%, and far from Rio and Salvador

EDUARDO OHATA

PAULO COBOS

Folha de São Paulo

Watching a football match at the stadium is not a typical activity for São Paulo fans.

A national survey by Datafolha, carried out at the end of November, shows that the city's residents are the least willing to support their club in

stands.

Only 15% of those interviewed in São Paulo said they go to stadiums, even if only occasionally. This number is reasonably below the average.

national (21%) and far from that registered by Cariocas (27%) and Salvadorans (28%).

Datafolha surveyed 11.786 people in 390 cities across 25 states. The margin of error is plus or minus two percentage points. Regarding fans' habit of going to the stadium or watching games on TV, one answer does not exclude the other.

And the one who draws the contempt of the São Paulo fans is precisely the Corinthians fans, considered "the most loyal of fans".

Only 23% of the black and white club's followers say they have the habit of going to stadiums, compared to 24% of São Paulo fans, 25% of Palmeiras fans and 26% of Santos fans.

Compared to what happens at major clubs in other states, São Paulo's apathy toward soccer stadiums is even more evident. In Rio de Janeiro, 30% of Flamengo fans consider a soccer field a priority. In the Northeast, 36% of Bahia fans share the same opinion.

The survey's results are supported by last year's Brazilian Championship ticket sales. Both Flamengo, in the first division of the championship, and Bahia, in the third, averaged around 40 fans per match. The biggest São Paulo club that came closest to this figure was São Paulo, with 29 paying fans per match. Corinthians averaged 20 fans per game.

Rio de Janeiro teams gain more space outside their headquarters than their rivals

Rio Grande do Sul is the state with the highest loyalty to local clubs

LOCAL REPORTING

Datafolha's survey from last November confirms that the big clubs in Rio de Janeiro are more popular than those in São Paulo in other states. And it reveals

also that residents of RJ are more loyal to their home clubs than those in SP.

Among those interviewed in Rio de Janeiro, 80% say they support Flamengo, Vasco, Botafogo, or Fluminense. In São Paulo, the combined preference for Corinthians, Palmeiras, São Paulo, and Santos reaches 70%.

In the ten units of the Republic tabulated by Datafolha on the subject, only in RS is loyalty to the main local clubs greater than that registered in RJ - 84% of Gauchos say they are followers of Grêmio or Internacional, both based in the capital, Porto Alegre.

In no other state do local clubs account for more than 50% of preferences. In Minas Gerais, 47% of respondents named Atlético-MG or Cruzeiro as their favorite team.

In the Northeast, in some cases, the home teams' share of popularity among fans is minimal.

In Ceará, for example, only 16% say they support one of the two powers in the state (Fortaleza and Ceará).

And, in these cases, the hearts of these Brazilians lean more towards the Rio de Janeiro clubs than towards the São Paulo teams.

In the Federal District, 48% of respondents named a Rio de Janeiro club as their favorite. São Paulo teams received only 19%.

In Bahia, 30% of the followers of the quartet of big Rio de Janeiro clubs are - the four big clubs from São Paulo hold 18% of the preference.

A big advantage in favor of São Paulo is only in neighboring Paraná, where Corinthians is the most popular team (15%) and São Paulo teams account for 38% of preferences, compared to just 7% for Rio de Janeiro clubs.

For São Paulo clubs, it's a comfort to see that two of the state's representatives (Corinthians and São Paulo) each hold 1% of the vote in Rio de Janeiro, while Flamengo is the only club from that state to reach that mark in São Paulo. (EO and PC)

CORINTHIANS GIVE EXPLANATIONS

Marketing vice president Luis Paulo Rosenberg cited the volume of Corinthians fans when asked about the low attendance at the stadium. "We would have 50%

more, and even double, than other fan bases, if the survey had yielded absolute numbers. There are fans and there are admirers. For us Corinthians fans, football is a religion;

for them, sport." "It's surprising. But there's a technical tie: Corinthians fans, 23%, and the fans of the team with the largest quorum, 26%", says Alexandre Husni, vice president of

advice.

Risk and lack of comfort play against

LOCAL REPORTING

Military Police, TV, marketing specialist and club director are unanimous in pointing out reasons that explain the absence of fans in stadiums:

discomfort and risk.

""From our observations, the majority of people who go to the stadium are from classes D and E, who find football their entertainment and stay in the general and

stands", says Major Armando Tadeu Camargo, 43, commander of the 2nd Shock Battalion of the Military Police, who heads policing in the stadiums.

He also says that other factors drive fans away. "Rising ticket prices, coupled with the difficulty of accessing stadiums, since many live in the east zone, discourage them. There are exceptions, such as São Paulo fans, who attend two types of games: classics and finals. And then there's the issue of violence."

Elton Simões, director responsible for Globosat's pay-per-view channels, which broadcast national tournaments, does not believe that the greater number of games offered on TV will influence attendance at stadiums.

"Our research indicates that most subscribers live more than 100 km from where their club's matches are played. Therefore, pay-per-view serves a population that would otherwise be unable to go to the stadiums," says Simões. "Violence, insecurity, and lack of maintenance and comfort discourage fans from going to the game venues."

Even club officials agree that the conditions of the arenas and the services offered there are not ideal. "It's a matter of rationality [not going to the stadium].

People have to go through the hassle of buying a ticket, going to the stadium, going through the turnstile, and finding their seat. And what do they find? Bathrooms in poor condition, the risk of fights...", says Corinthians' vice president of marketing, Luis Paulo Rosenberg.

If the lack of public is seen as a problem, from another perspective Marco Aurélio Klein, specialist in sports marketing and professor at the Faculty

Getúlio Vargas sees a niche of opportunities.

"According to Datafolha figures, few people go to the stadium, but many watch football on TV. This means there is pent-up demand for

football. There are excellent opportunities for football if it is organized and provides accessibility, quality, and comfort."

"Football today is entertainment. If there's comfort, people will go to the stadiums. Look at movie theaters: in the past, torn carpets, poor lighting and sound.

scared away the public." (EO E PC)