Viva La Futébol.

A nice Saturday morning. Woke up at 6:30. Got ready and before I knew it, we were off to São Paulo. The group was full of 7-9 year old kids. I considered myself a volunteer ( though I really was not) We reached the museum at about 9. The museum was in a stadium called Pacaembu. It is the home ground of Corinthians. My first trip to a real football stadium. I was extremely excited, even more than the little kids with me but I was ‘too mature’  to show  it.

After completing the formalities we entered the museum. Official footballs used for the World Cups from 1970-2010 greeted us. Then, there was a 3D screen which had the great Pele welcoming us into the museum. The first exhibit was overwhelming. A dark room with  hanging glass screens with Brazilian greats on them. Garrincha, Pele, Socrates, Zico, Romario, Jairzinho. Wow. Impressed.  Later, there were kind of boxes in which you had to stand and could choose between some of the important moments of Brazilian football. E.g.  The Roberto Baggio penalty miss in 1994 with Brazilian commentary (It’s a whole new thing).  Then there were more boxes which were made like a radio and you could tune in to famous Brazilian commentators. Wow again.  

This next exhibit is my favourite of all time. Surely. A dark under-construction stadium with the smell of soil filled with screens. The  celebrations of the supporters. Makes you feel like you are in a real stadium. Hearing them chanting their songs, watching them lighting flares, screaming at the top of their voices made the hair on my arms stand. The vibrations sent shivers down my spine. I could have stayed in that room for the rest of  my life without getting bored. My utmost respect to the man who concieved the idea and a big hug to the man who created this thing. That room gave me the most amazing feeling of my life. It’s probably the only thing that can give me this feeling. I know it.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XDajXhGL_I&feature=relmfu (Imagine this in a drak room, with full bass, vibrations on your feet. What you can imagine is just the beginning of what I experienced.) Here is more. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXmB0xENsDo 

The following exhibit was all related to the World Cup. They had blocks with TV's on all sides. 360 Degrees. Each block was given two World Cups's. For e.g. 1970 and 1974 were in one block, 1978 and 1982 in another.. So on. I experienced an amusing experience at the 1982 World Cup block. Brasil needed 1 point to qualify for the Semi-Final's. They were playing against Italy.Now Italy had a striker named Paolo Rossi who was involved in drugs, mafia matters and all the wrong things before the World Cup. His selection for it was a shock to most people.. All of the people to be honest! This guy, Paolo Rossi pops up and scored thrice against Brasil. His first goals in the tournament. Final Score 3-2. Brasil out of the World Cup. Mind you, The Brasilian team of 1982 is regarded as one of the best teams to grace the football field. Now, a woman behind me randomly comes up and says, 'O esse filho da puta Paola Rossi né? Deveria ter morrido, Babaca' I was laughing SO hard on hearing that. The sentence translates as,' This son of a bitch, Paolo Rossi, isn't it? Should have died, asshole'. Now, leave all the abuses and stuff. The love for their team is what amazes me. I mean, A woman randomly walks up to you and abuses a guy. That's passion. Passion for football. Absolutely amazing.
Moving on, I watched a REAL football stadium for the first time. Estadio Pacaembu. The home stadium of Corinthians. (Who went on to become the champions this year) They were going to have the championship game the next day. If they had won or drawn against Palmeiras the next day, they are the champions and they did exactly that. Too bad. Nobody I know likes Corinthians. Me neither. The following activities were general fun. They had virtual football, then the info of ALL the teams in Brasil. All info that too. They also had a place where you shoot a penalty and they measure the speed of your kick. 88 kmph, I got. Not bad.

That was the last of it. At 11, we were out of the museum. Too bad we couldn't stay for longer. This is one of the places where I can spend a full day without getting bored. A musuem which I will never forget.           Viva La Futébol.