Brazil is an incredibly passionate nation and everything that people do, they do with pride and enthusiasm. At Sochi’s FIFA Fan Fest Zone, it was evident that the passion for football runs so high that everyone feels a need to discuss their obsession. If sport unites nations, and it does, football perhaps occupies the prime place in bringing together people from various nationalities, and this is especially true in the case of the Selecao.
From fan arenas to the stadiums around the town there was a sea of yellow. And more importantly, it was not only Brazilians, but soccer enthusiasts of different nationalities were out to cheer for Neymar, Jesus and Coutinho.
I went to the FIFA Fan Fest Zone with Heraldo, a Mexican fan. As traffic was disrupted in several parts of the city following heavy rains that lashed Sochi earlier in the day, we had to depend on metro trains to reach our destination.
Heraldo, who works in Germany, is a Brazil supporter. Imagine, a football fan taking pains to watch a team that ousted his home country from the tournament the other day! It underlines the fact that Brazilian football evokes passion and emotion across the globe.
Though I had come across Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo fans from across the world in Russia, Brazil are the most popular team at the World Cup. The reason is that people generally love the Brazilian approach to football. Also, the improvement since Adenor Leonardo Bacchi aka Tite took over as Brazil coach in 2016 has been remarkable.
The fans believed that Brazil were getting better with every match and they had the firepower to clinch a record-extending sixth title in Russia. With a new generation of exceptionally gifted group of players like Neymar, Coutinho and Willian in action, they were confident that Brazil will be able to restore their past glory.
However, all the hopes and dreams went up in smoke. The 1-2 loss to Belgium in the quarterfinals extended Brazil’s wait for another World Cup title by another four years.
Brazil were trailing 2-0 in the first half played on a wet ground, but when the match resumed after the break, the rain stopped and the grey clouds disappeared. But the yellow brigade at the stadium were under a cloud of gloom and despair as the writing was on the wall. They had witnessed the worst in Belo Horizonte four years ago, when Germany destroyed Brazil 7-1 in the semifinals.
Brazil pulled a goal back in the 75th to make it 2-1 through substitute Renato Augusto, giving fans something to cheer about. A football fan, seemingly a non-Brazilian, hugged a Brazilian supporter with delight, but the latter stood there expressionless as if he had already guessed the team’s fate. The arena soon turned into a cauldron of emotion as the Brazilian fans vented out their anger at players in frustration before breaking down in tears.
I left the stadium and headed home in the company of two Brazilian fans, Fyodor and Alexie, who live in Saint Petersburg. They were in Sochi to spend the holiday break and watch the World Cup. Alexie was wearing the iconic No. 9 Ronaldo jersey, a remnant of a golden era when Brazil ruled the world football.
