Football in Porto Alegre

It was football that first brought me to Porto Alegre.

In mid 2013 I set off on a 12 month worldwide journey – including eight months in Latin America – slowly making my way to Brazil for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. It was truly a life changing adventure.

My first time at Beira-Rio in June 2014

While on the journey, I came to Porto Alegre for the match between The Netherlands and the Australian Socceroos at Gigante Beira-Rio. It was an incredible game, with Australian star Tim Cahill scoring one of the goals of the tournament and the Socceroos actually leading for a while, before going down 3-2.

While the game was great, it was what happened later that day that was life changing, when I met a woman outside of a bar in Cidade Baixa who would eventually become my wife. It may have been football that brought me to Porto Alegre initially, but it was a Gaúcha that brought me back. I know not all Brazilians were happy with the World Cup being in their countrybut I'll be forever grateful that it was.

The spot where I met my wife

Gaúchos love their football too. It will surprise nobody to find out that football occupies a huge part of the collective consciousness in Brazil and it is no different here in Porto Alegre. That passion is deeply divided in Porto Alegre though. The city is split in two over which team to follow. Here, you're either for Internacional, or Grêmio.

Football here is like a religion, and even those who aren't big football fans declare proudly whether they are a Colorado (fan of Inter) or Gremista (fan of Gremio).

While many football fans around the world are familiar with teams like Flamingo or Corinthians from Rio and São Paulo, the two teams in Porto Alegre are less famous outside of Brazil. Despite that, they are both very good sides that have had as much success as any team outside of the country's two major cities.

Grêmio (Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense), founded in 1903 by English and German immigrants, is the older of the two teams and has played out of the impressive new, Arena do Grêmio stadium since 2012. Everywhere you go in Porto Alegre you can see Gremistas dressed up in the “tricolors” of Black, White and Blue. The team is known to have the sixth biggest supporter base in the country, with a reported eight million fans throughout Brazil, while they also have a reported 85,000 members – more than can fit in their 55,000 seat stadium.

Going to watch Gremio play

Those fans have a reason to be loyal as the team has had it's share of success. They've won the Intercontinental Cup (once), the Copa Libertadores de America (twice), Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A (twice) and Copa do Brasil (4 times). Their best period came during the mid 90s while famous coach Luiz Scolari was the manager, and while they haven't enjoyed any success at a national or international level for 15 years, their fans stay loyal.

Sport Club Internacional (known simply as Inter) was formed a few years after Grêmio and had a pretty rough start – losing their first game to their local rivals 10-0. While things didn't start well off the pitch, the club grew quickly after being known as a team that was more inclusive of the various ethnic communities in Porto Alegre at the time. The founders, from Italian background, weren't able to play for the two existing teams in the city, and instead decided to start their own team where everyone could play, regardless of origin or nationality.

Back at Beira-Rio to watch Inter

While Grêmio has had some good success, it doesn't compare to what Inter has accomplished since that first game in 1909. Inter has won the Campeonato Brasiliero Serie A three times, as well as the Copa do Brasil once. Internationally, they've won the Copa Libertadores twice (2006 & 2010), Copa Sudamericana once and Recopa Sudamericana twice. The biggest prize though, was in 2006 when Inter won the World Club Cup, defeating Barcelona in the final.

Inter are also one of just five teams in Brazil to have never been relegated to the second division of the national league and has played in every season since it's inception in 1971.

Another area that Inter dominates is in supporter base, with 106,000 paid up members – the most in all of South America and one of the largest in the entire world.

Both teams play in the state championship as well – something quite different from many other countries. Every year, after completing the national league, professional teams in Brazil play against other clubs from their state, some of which could barely be described as “semi professional”. While it is odd to see such unevenly balanced teams playing against each other, it means that the big name teams are brought back to their roots and play meaningful games in smaller cities and towns all over the state – something that is lost in many sporting leagues in other countries.

Watching Inter win the Campeonato Gaucho, while drinking Chimarrao

A rivalry is only as good as the two teams, and luckily both teams are very good, meaning that the rivalry is always fierce. We don't really have anything like this in Australia, where our two major sports are heavily based in two cities. That both teams have had success both in Brazil and internationally, helps push both sides to continually be better.

The Australian Football League (Australian football, not “soccer”) has 18 teams, with 10 of them based in Melbourne. While there are some great historical rivalries, it isn't the same as having a two team city. The closest we have is in Adelaide or Perth, with each having two sides, but in both cases, the second team is only around 20 years old, so there isn't that history. There is a similar situation in Australia's other major sporting league, the National Rugby League, where eight of 16 teams are based in Sydney.

Going to a game is very different here than back in Australia too. Not being able to drink beer in the stadium is quite an adjustment. I'm so used to being able to watch my favourite team play, while having a drink in my hand. Here in Brazil, with alcohol banned in stadiums (except during the World Cup) things are a little different. One of the ways the locals overcome this is by getting to the stadium early to have drinks and food before going in to the game. With street drinking allowed on the street, the outside of the stadium is effectively one big tail gating party, which can be fun.

What happens during the game is different too. In Australia, fans of both teams sit together without any problems, while here (more like in Europe) fans sit in sections that keep the home and away supporters apart. This is somewhat sad, but it also creates an environment where singing and chanting can happen. With the fans of each team concentrated together, Colorados and Gremistas spend the entire game singing, chanting and cheering for their team, practically in unison.

Gigante Beira-Rio

The football played on the pitch in Porto Alegre may not be world class, but the passion of the fans in the stands truly is.

Having been to games at both teams venues – both of which I'd love to take back to Australia with me – I can appreciate both teams, but at the end of the day, there was never any doubt over which team I would pick as my own here in Porto Alegre. It was a game a Gigante Beira-Rio that brought me to the city, and since then I've had nothing but great experience at the stadium supporting Inter, as well as watching the Rolling Stones.

Adding to that, my wife and her family are fans of Inter, and if I've learned anything in the first month of my marriage, its to keep your wife happy.