Corinthians fans turn Vila into Itaquera, approve the experience | OneFootball

Vila Belmiro hosted a black-and-white club this Wednesday, but it wasn’t Santos—it was Corinthians. Timão used their rival’s stadium to host the match against Bahia for the first round of the Campeonato Brasileiro, and managed to recreate the Itaquera atmosphere.

Even in the surroundings of Vila, it was clear this was no ordinary match. The Military Police decided to protect some of the symbols associated with Santos with barricades, such as the statue of Zito and the headquarters of Torcida Jovem, the main organized supporters group of Peixe, to prevent acts of vandalism.

(Photo: André Costa/Gazeta Press)

(Photo: André Costa/Gazeta Press)

Inside the stadium, Corinthian spirit was also present. The club’s marketing department covered up some of the supportive phrases for Santos displayed in the stands with banners encouraging Timão. All to make the Fiel feel more at home in the venue.

Even the stadium staff were instructed to cover the Peixe crest on their uniforms with silver tape to avoid any confusion.

(Photo: André Costa/Gazeta Press)

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Fiel in Full Force

The black-and-white fans turned out in force. More than 13,000 people packed Vila Belmiro and sang loudly throughout the 90 minutes. There was even the traditional ‘poropópó’ chant just before kickoff.

However, the celebration inside and outside the stadium did not carry over onto the field. Timão took the lead with Breno Bidon, but gave up the comeback and suffered defeat in their Brasileirão debut.

Despite the negative result, the Fiel approved of the experience. One fan, interviewed by the Gazeta Esportiva team, spoke about what it felt like to visit Vila Belmiro wearing a Corinthians jersey.

“For me, as someone from Baixada Santista, who grew up here in the neighborhood, being here with the Corinthians jersey without worrying, seeing Gaviões sing, it’s indescribable. It really gives you goosebumps. I come from a Corinthians family, here in Santos. I wish my father and uncles were here to experience this moment. We’re at home and wearing the Corinthians shirt,” said Bruno Costi, 36.

(Photo: André Costa/Gazeta Press)

Why was the game at Vila?

Corinthians made an agreement with Santos to use Vila Belmiro. The team chose to bring forward their Brasileirão debut in order to have the same three days of preparation as Flamengo for the Supercopa do Brasil, which takes place on Sunday.

The team could not play in São Paulo’s capital, since the city was hosting the match between São Paulo and Flamengo at Morumbis. The solution, therefore, was to host the match in another city. The club considered Bragança Paulista, but decided to play at Vila for two reasons: stadium capacity and proximity.

Corinthians paid around R$ 350,000 to Santos as rent and kept the revenue from ticket sales: R$ 1,162,555.00.

Until then, Timão had only hosted two matches at the stadium, both friendlies for the Torneio de Verão. In 1986, the team faced Grasshopper, from Switzerland, and ten years later, played against Cruzeiro.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.