The black Vulture Flamengo football club
Flamengo is Rio’s team of the masses, the most popular and famous team in Rio followed by their rival fluminense. Loyalties fluctuate according to team standings, but roughly one-third of Rio's population pledges allegiance to Flamengo football club, far more than to any other team.
Flamengo is known as the team of the poor and the blacks, its symbol being a black vulture.
It is said that more Umbanda rites are seen before Flamengo soccer games than are performed for any other team. Umbanda is an old religion from Africa, often associated with spells, rituals and curses. It may seem like Flamengos have friends in the occult environments as well, trying to help their team by means of magic.
The Flamengo soccer team has 65,000 card-carrying members (exceeded only by Corinthians in São Paulo with 150,000), but its fans number in the millions. They are despised by rival fans for their overwhelming numbers and boastfulness after victory and for the fervor with which they try to recruit new fans.
However, they are also respected for their fidelity to the team and for their feeling of brotherhood toward other fans. Sayings like "when you meet a Flamengo, you meet a friend" attest to their communal spirit. Flamengo fans I spoke with claimed that, when they must choose, they prefer to do business with someone who cheers for the Flamengo team.
There is a folklore that people believe, like the story of a rich man's being robbed of all his possessions: finding a Flamengo membership card in the man's wallet, the robber ,also Flamengo, returned everything.
Their home stadium is nominally the Gávea (capacity 8,000), but most games are played in the Maracanã (capacity 120,000). They play in horizontal red and black stripes, white shorts with red piping and striped red and black socks.
Their biggest rivals are from the same city: Fluminense
Flamengo football club Merrits:
· Bebeto
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