Botofoga – Macae (13-02-2011)

I had to be in Sao Paulo, Brazil, for a conference, but decided to first go to Rio, to see my friend A, and a game in the Campeonato Carioca, the highest division in the state of Rio de Janeiro. We had selected a home game of one of the biggest clubs in Rio, Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas – like many other football clubs in Rio, Botafogo started as a regatta, a rowing club. A had already bought the tickets, but that was without thinking about Delta Airlines… after a delay of almost three hours at Atlanta, we finally took off… only to return after three hours because of “technical difficulties”. Adding insult to injury, the technical problems weren’t urgent, we could have made it to Brazil, but Delta doesn’t have accurate mechanics in Latin America, so we were made to return. After a night at an airport hotel in Atlanta, and a long flight, I finally arrived in Rio de Janeiro… at 3AM on Monday, with a 17 hour delay, and almost 12 hours after kick-off. Hence, no game in Rio. Thanks Delta!