The citizens of the 10 million strong city of Rio de Janeiro call it the Cidade Marvilhosa (the Marvelous City), and there can’t be much argument about that. Rio de Janeiro sits on the southern shore of a landlocked harbor within the magnificent natural setting of an azure sea and jungle-clad mountains, the city’s streets and buildings have been molded around the foothills of the mountain range which provides its backdrop, while out in the bay there are innumerable rocky islands fringed with white sand.  The panoramic view over Rio is breathtaking, and even the concrete skyscrapers which dominate the city’s skyline add to the attraction. Although driven by inequality, Rio de Janeiro has great style. Its international renown is bolstered by a series of symbols that rank as some of the greatest landmarks in the world. The Corcovado (hunchback) mountain supporting the great statue of Christ the Redeemer; the rounded incline of the Sugar Loaf mountain, standing at the entrance to the bay; and most famous sweep of Copacabana Beach, probably the most notable length of sand on earth.

RIO DE JANEIRO’S PROMINENT CLUBS

Rio is a city of four top clubs –Flamengo, Fluminense, Botafogo and Vasco da Gama- but it is the Fla – Flu derby that gets the blood pumping quickest. The days of slow-slow-slow-quick-slow football are almost over, replaced by a more ruthless attitude of playing to win, not just to entertain, but Brazilians being Brazilians, they can’t resist the occasional bit of showboating. And this is the biggest atage in domestic football on which to shine and perhaps earn a move to Europe. It has been suggested that 70 percent of Brazilians support Flamengo and most of the rest follow Fluminense. A recent survey concluded that, in fact, just 19.1 percent get behind Flamengo –still making them easily the best supported club in the country ahead of Corinthians- while 2.7 percent follow Fluminense.

This reflects the fact that Fla are seen as the working people’s club, Flu the aristocracy. But whatever the statistics, the stadium’s always full, the crowd in good voice, and the game itself should provide plenty of samba-style trickery too.

Flamengo date back to 1895 but didn’t start playing football until 1912 when, after a row with a director, many of Fluminense’s footballers jumped ship to join the nearby sports club, sowing the seed of this great rivalry. When Fluminense then have to play their new rivals in the league that same year, they were expected to lose –after all, their best players have left- but they managed a 3-2 victory in the last minute and so the drama began.

Residents of Rio recall a 1941 meeting between the sides as the “timewasting” derby. The game finished 2-2 meaning Fluminense won the Carioca State Championship, but it ended with Flu players blatantly and continually kicking the ball into the Rodrigo the Freitas Lake outside Flamengo’s Gavea Stadium!

Extracted from “FourFourTwo”, World Football Supplement. 2003
Page 27. Haymarket Magazines 2003.
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