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Dispatches

A Peñarol Fanatic’s Journey Back to Montevideo

June 15, 2011 — by Suman

Two weeks ago, storied Uruguayan club Peñarol stunned Argentinian Clausura table-toppers Vélez Sársfield to set up a historic matchup against Brazilian side Santos for this year’s Copa Libertadores (1st leg tonight is tonight in Montevideo; 9pm ET on Fox Deportes in the USA).  A couple days later we received this message from a Uruguayan friend–born and raised in Montevideo as a supporters of los Aurinegros, los Peñarolenses:

Can you take 3 days to go to São Paulo?  I am in some state of delirium.

Here is the story, still in progress, of where that delirium has taken him:

Forlan's Wall Photo - June 2, 2011

After that initial message, our friend (let’s call him Forlán, after another lifelong Peñarol supporter and prodigal son of Montevideo who has gone abroad to pursue his craft; the real Forlán, btw, is a newly inducted honorary member of the club ahead of tonight’s game*) was looking for someone to accompany him on a trip to São Paulo for the 2nd leg (which is next week–Wednesday June 22). But then Monday we received this via email:

date: Mon, Jun 13, 2011 at 4:23 PM
subject: drama begins

I’m at the Philadelphia airport.
The tickets went on sale this morning at 9 and they were gone in 15 minutes.
(Some 24 thousand had been sold before to club members. The stadium fits
around 65 thousand.)
As of now, I’m without a ticket. But there’s always hope.
On top of everything, all flights yesterday and today in and out of Montevideo
have been cancelled because of the volcano in Chile. Looking at the
wind forecast
for tomorrow, I’m wanting to believe my flight tonight won’t get cancelled.
The game itself might get postponed if Santos cannot fly in.

Presumably he’d travelled to Philly from Ithaca (where he summers, playing the beautiful game and doing his mathematics) by either plane or automobile.

We next heard from him later that evening, via IM:

date: Mon, Jun 13, 2011 at 10:35 PM
10:35 PM Forlán: i’m in miami. they canceled the flight to mvd, but luckily i knew just before leaving phl. So now i’m flying to Sao Paolo and sometime tomorrow from there to Mvd.

10:36 PM My brothers were able to get 2 tickets. Need one more for my niece, will try to get it a travel agency in sao paulo (from the tickets for Santos)

And then back on email the next day (yesterday):

date: Tue, Jun 14, 2011 at 2:35 PM
subject: Re: drama begins

Stuck in Sao Paulo. Will fly to Porto Alegre and catch a bus from
there (12 hours).

He left us in suspense overnight–would he make the flight to Porto Alegre and catch the bus? 12 hours on a bus?? Would that even get him home in time for the game??

But then this email arrived just a few minutes ago:

date Wed, Jun 15, 2011 at 10:29 AM
subject Re: drama begins

At home in Montevideo, ready for the game in 12 hours.
A bit rainy and cold. The city awaits the big moment.
Vamos Peñarol!

So the initial leg of the drama is successfully completed–prodigal son of Peñarol completes the odyssey home in time for the next leg..the 1st leg.  Stay tuned..

*: From that goal.com article about (the real) Forlan and tonight’s match–read to the quote at the end:

CommentaryNews

Intrigue! Passion! Brazil!!!

September 24, 2010 — by Sean

From our man beneath the Southern Cross comes the skinny on the impetuous Brazilian phenom Neymar and the storm he’s kick up around him. Plus, World Cup 2014 plans with a sinister undercurrent? Big thanks to Mark Gannon for keeping us all in the loop.

Step back, for I am Neymar.

In the game against Atlético Goianiense in Goiás on Wednesday of last week, the coach of Santos, Dorival Júnior, wanted a different player to take a PK.  Neymar had a fit, cursed out the coach, and supposedly continued his tantrum in the locker room.

Dorival did not put Neymar on the list of players for Santos’s next game, against Guarani over the weekend.  But then when he refused to put Neymar on the list for yesterday’s (Wednesday’s) game against Corinthians, he was fired.

Mano decided to leave Neymar off the seleção for the two upcoming as-yet-unspecified friendlies in Europe, but made it clear that when Neymar starts getting attention for the way he plays instead of other things, he’ll be back.  Mano said Neymar’s return depends only on Neymar.

It was reported that Neymar didn’t speak during a Santos practice today (after Mano’s latest list was released), and was consoled by a teammate after the other players had left.

Just to add a little extra spice, Andres Sanches, the president of Corinthians, suggested that São Paulo FC was somehow involved in Dorival’s removal, because SPFC wanted to hire Dorival.  I’m not sure what SPFC could do to force the ouster of a coach at Santos, but this should generate some interesting talk.  It’s a shame I missed the lunchtime soccer discussion show on TV BAND and the late-lunchtime sports show on Globo today.

It’s interesting to me that Andres dislikes SPFC so much.  The traditional arch-rival of Corinthians has been Palmeiras, but Andres seems to have some kind of “thing” with São Paulo.  He was involved in making sure SPFC’s stadium wouldn’t be used for the World Cup, especially the opening ceremonies.  The last I heard is that Palmeiras’s new stadium, on which construction has just begun, will be one World Cup venue and Corinthians’s new stadium, on which construction has not yet even started, will be another.

There has been talk about changing the Corinthians stadium (“o Fielzão”) to give it enough seats to host the opening ceremony.  I’m not sure where the CBF currently says it intends to have the opening ceremony.  It might end up being somewhere other than São Paulo, which would be a shame.  I’m still not in favor of holding the final in the Maracanã, but I don’t think any other stadium was even really considered.  I’ll be willing to let it slide if one condition is met: if Brazil is not champ in 2014 with the final in Rio, no carioca can ever again be in the CBF.

News

Neymar Drama Ends

August 19, 2010 — by Sean

From Globo and the Federative Republic of Brazil, we bring you what should be the end of the Neymar transfer shimmy. Once again from our friend and neighbor to the south, Mark Gannon.

Neymar: “I hope I’ve been an example for other young players”
Forward says it’s not the right moment to go and play football in Europe, but admits that making the decision was quite difficult: “My head was like a cloverleaf”
By Adilson Barros, GloboEsporte.com, Santos

Neymar carries the weight of Pelé.

There was a time when a young player, whenever asked about his greatest dream, would respond in the following way: “to be a starter on my club and reach the Seleção.” After football became a machine that moves unimaginable fortunes, with European clubs going down below the equator to take valuable and relatively cheap “merchandise,” the discourse changed: “My dream is to play in Europe.” But on Thursday, Neymar subverted what seemed to be the natural course of his career.

The Santos “gem” said no to Chelsea. He refused a salary of around €4MM (R$9MM) per year, plus a signing bonus, to stay at Santos. He wants to establish himself as a Santos idol, win titles, solidify his position on the Brazilian national team, and only after that, when he’s more mature, transfer to Europe. He hopes other promising youngsters follow his example.

“I think I stand out in a positive way in Brazilian football for having refused a very good offer. I hope to be an example for other players, that they’ll think carefully and stay more time with the clubs they love, that they’ll score more goals here, that they’ll develop.

News

Santos Want to Keep Ganso & Neymar

August 17, 2010 — by Sean

Even more great stuff from Mark Gannon on the ground in Brazil. Following quickly from the Neymar news comes this next piece that also includes fretting over Ganso. Santos is bleeding offensive weapons, and are looking to staunch the flow. Follow the link for the original from Globo Esporte.

Mano and Zagallo advise Neymar and Ganso to stay in Brazil
Current and former coaches of the Seleção ran a sort of “Stay, Neymar and Ganso” campaign during an event on Monday
By Leandro Canônico and Marcelo Prado, São Paulo

Is Neymar going off to Europe?  Is Ganso following the same path?  If it depended on the opinions of Mano Menezes, coach of the Seleção, and Zagallo, four-time world champ with Brazil, the answers would be the same: no.  On Monday afternoon, in an event held by a CBF sponsor (translator says: from the pics, it looks like it was Gillette), both defended the idea of the two Santos stars staying longer in “the football country.”

“I think it’s really early for a 17, 18, 19 year old player to leave Brazil.  The base has to be built here.  Obviously, the players always want to go for financial reasons, but in Neymar’s case, he would be going to an environment that isn’t good for his body type.  He needs to gain more weight.  So it’s better to wait and leave when he’s 21 or 22,” declared Zagallo, talking about Chelsea’s proposal to the player.On the same stage with Zagallo, the “Boys of the Vila” (young Santos stars) and world champs Cafu and Bebeto, coach Mano Menezes also spoke about the subject.

News

Neymar to Chelsea: Not So Fast

August 17, 2010 — by Sean

Fantastic stuff from Mark Gannon, our correspondent in Brazil. The papers are abuzz with the seemingly imminent move of Neymar to England, or will it be as smooth a transition as the European press would have us believe? Read on for Mark’s translations of the Brazilian angle (follow the links for the original articles).

Neymar will meet with Santos officials on Tuesday (Photo: Ag. Estado)

Pelé, Robinho, and Sports Minister called upon to convince Neymar

The Fish” (Santos) sets up a task force to try to keep the prodigy in the Vila Belmiro.  The King of Football has already made himself available to talk to the player’s father
By Adilson Barros, Santos

Santos is trying its last gambits to convince Neymar to reject Chelsea’s offer and stay in the Vila Belmiro.  The club is setting up a task force that will include Pelé, Sports Minister Orlando Silva, and forward Robinho.  According to two members of Santos president Luis Alvaro de Oliveira Ribeiro, the three offered to contact the young Santos star and his father, Neymar dos Santos Silva, to try to talk them out of the idea of leaving the country at this moment.