If there's one thing Brazillians are famed of above all else, it is their love of football. They are crazy about it. Walk past any of the small bars that line the streets here and you can bet they'll be a small group of men sat watching a game inside.
They're apparently pretty good at playing too. No other nation has won the FIFA World Cup as many times as Brazil have. So when we had the opportunity to go and see a match at the country's national football stadium we (well mostly I) jumped at the chance.
On Sunday evening Botafogo played local rivals Flamengo in the Rio State Championship at the Maracana stadium. I believe I'm right in saying that if we'd have watched this fixture two years ago we might have watched Clarence Seedorf face off against Ronaldinho but sadly no such talent this time around.
The match was still a hugely entertaining affair though and the atmosphere was electric throughout. Two groups of Flamengo fans kept a steady beat of their samba drums and a chorus of chanting constant for the full ninety minutes. On the pitch the players stopped for a water break midway through each half which stopped the game hitting any real rhythm but some of the individual skills, flicks and tricks were worth the entry fee alone.
Most teams have rivals or teams they love to beat and the passion they have for football here can boil over, I've read about stadium crushes at some of the local teams like Vasco day Gama in recent years, so I was a little apprehensive of going but with the World Cup just around the corner the organisation was fantastic. Our newly adopted Brazillian team Flamengo even won 2-0 as well so I was able to go home happy with an amazing experience.
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