It's a bird. It's a plane. It's, it's, it's ...

... What is it?

Is it a demonstration?

Is it security forces gone amok? Is it the end of the world as we know it? No! It's the Recife vs. Recife football game that I went to on Sunday afternoon!

This weekend, two of Recife's three teams were playing one of the final games of the second round of the state championship. Some friends and I decided to brave the crowds and attend. The teams were Santa Cruz, which just recently moved to the top league at the national level [let me just say that the party in the street continued for THREE weeks when that happened!], and Esporte, a team in the second level nationally. At the state level, both teams are in the top league and are essentially battling it out for the state pennant. As things stood prior to yesterday's game, underdog Esporte was one point ahead of Santa Cruz and emotions were running high!

Overall the game was good, the bantering was omnipresent, the fans were emotional but well behaved, and the score ... was tied! This morning's scandal [of course!] was the fact that the ref's decision to not count Santa Cruz's first goal is being called into question.... When I asked a friend if it was due to human error or perhaps to something a little less genteel [I had just been given the whole lowdown on the underside of football -- think drugs, money, politics, and passion], he slowly shrugged his shoulders with the ubiquitous sei la -- who knows!

In any case, lot's 'o fun and two thumbs up for my first football game.

Some random thoughts on Brazilian football vs. Canadian hockey:

Accessibility: Tickets for games go on sale the day of or a few days before, and the cheapest tickets cost R$7 (CAN$3.50). Very democratic and accessible! Hockey tickets on the other hand....

Security: Brazilian football games have a few additional security measure over our hockey games: the refs get escorted off the field by a swat team (full gear) following each period; men in uniforms with rather large German Shepards stand around the perimetre of the field facing the stands; and the fans of the losing team exit the stadium first while the fans of the winning team wait a half an hour prior to leaving.

Fan Participation: At the beginning of the game, when the players enter the field, they come running on with a gang of pint-size fans [three year olds +]. Apparently parents can pay a small fee to have their kids run onto the field hand in hand with the players. It is an very cute sight! The kids get to run around a bit and play prior to being called off for the game to start.

Fan Seating: Stadiums in Brazil have specific sections reserved for the fans of the opposing teams. Lord help anyone caught unawares on the wrong side of the fence!

Occupational Health & Safety: Football games can be stressful! Apparently there is at least one heart attack per game!

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL