The day after the Brazilian team’s frustrating 1-1 draw in the World Cup opener with Morocco, Brazilian fans once again showed their ability to mobilize in the United States.
This Sunday (14), thousands occupied the Brooklyn Bridge, one of the most traditional tourist attractions in New York.
Even though the organizers did not release an official number of participants — as did the local authorities —, the walk fulfilled its promised objective, of being present from end to end.
Led by the Movimento Verde Amarelo, the official supporters of the Canarian team, which called for the event even before Brazil’s debut game, the event also highlighted a recurring problem within the group.
Despite the mobilization, the repertoire remains excessively dependent on a few songs, almost always anchored in the achievements of the past, with provocations to rivals and repeated to exhaustion.
Before the World Cup, the Movement obtained support from the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation) to obtain tickets for the matches and bring together members of the main supporters of Brazilian clubs.
The idea was to make this union translate into a more contagious fan base in the stands.
Scarce repertoire
At least for now, that goal seems distant. Just as occurred in the confrontation with the Moroccans, the repertoire sung in Brooklyn revolved around a few songs.
The most contagious refers to Brazil’s five world titles.
“Yes, in five-eight it was Pelé
In half-two it was Mané
In seven-zero, the squad
First to be three-time champion
Oh, 94, Romário
2002, Phenomenon
First four-time champion
The only penta is Brasilzão!”
The fans also like to chant taunts against their rivals, as in the song in which they praise Pelé’s thousand goals, with references to Maradona, and in the melody in which they highlight Neymar. “Cristiano Ronaldo came for a walk. Messi is the ca… We have Neymar!”, says an excerpt.
The number 10 of the Brazilian team is the only player in the current squad whose name is mentioned in one of the most frequent songs among the green and yellow fans, in a sign that highlights the disconnection of the current Canarian squad with the fans themselves.
This, according to the participants, does not change the excitement about the selection. Not even the draw in the World Cup opener affected that.
“It was just the first game,” said Marina Martins, 34, a plastic surgeon, who went to the game and the event on the bridge with her friend Ana Carvalho, 38, also a surgeon. “We trust in our team, and Morocco was the most difficult in our group,” said Marina.
The two arrived at the location around 2 pm (local time), just before the official gathering, scheduled for 3 pm, in front of the New York City Hall building, in City Hall Park, a point that also marks the access to the Brooklyn Bridge pedestrian walkway, between Center Street and Park Row.
At this point, before starting the 1.8 km crossing, the fans began to “warm up”, with samba and funk, before singing melodies about the Brazilian team.
Closely monitored by the city police, the fans only used the part of the bridge intended for pedestrians, but there was also an impact on traffic in the region, as many vehicle drivers slowed down to take photos and wave to the fans.
As the Brazilians managed to occupy the entire route, it was also possible to notice some dispersions.
Those far from the group with musical instruments were easily distracted by the beautiful landscape that the bridge provided. Between photos and videos, silence reigned at times.
After crossing the Brooklyn Bridge, similar to the event in Times Square on the eve of the game against Morocco, Brazilian fans will now organize actions in Philadelphia, the Brazilian team’s next destination, the stage for the clash with Haiti on Friday (19), at the Lincoln Financial Field stadium.
