It is expected that this Saturday will be better than what was experienced in the South American final between Paranaense and Bragantino, where trade did not move much.
Flamengo and Palm Trees, finalists of the Copa Libertadores 2021, they land this Wednesday in Montevideo, which little by little begins to be taken by all the color of the Brazilian ‘torcedores’, generating great expectations from the tourism sector.
Both delegations will arrive at the Carrasco International Airport in the afternoon and, after settling in, will attend their training places.
The Cariocas of the ‘Fla’ will use the Champion of the Century, Peñarol stadium, while the ‘Verdao’ paulistas will do so in the Great Central Park, home of the National.
At the same time, thousands of Brazilian fans waiting to accompany their teams began to slowly enter the country, which is waiting for the income of about 60,000 people for the expected match of the main club tournament in America.
According to Uruguayan authorities reported on Tuesday, 95% of the Colombes tribune of the Centennial stadium, reserved for supporters of ‘Mengao’, the most popular club in Brazil.
Meanwhile in Amsterdam, the header set up for fans of the also popular Palmeiras, more than half of the tickets had been purchased.
Each one has a capacity of about 14,000 people.
The hotels in Montevideo and its surroundings have been at their peak for this weekend for more than a month and tour operators are betting that football helps them rebound after a tough year and a half of pandemic.
Expectation and caution
“They are talking about 60,000 people coming. That, plus what we are going to mobilize internally in the country, the truth is that it is something very, very positive, “he told AFP Augustine Maddocks, Secretary General of the Association of Hotels and Restaurants of Uruguay (AHRU).
“It is a very important push, which it does is mitigate the economic impact that we have been having since 2020 and this year present in the hotel and gastronomy industry ”, he added.
The final between Flamengo and Palmeiras revives the hope of the sector after the disappointment generated by the little movement caused by the final of the South American Cup between Brazilians Athletico Paranaense and Red Bull Bragantino, two teams with less popular roots.
“Absolutely nothing was sold. We had forecasts that few people would come, but not so few people, “said Daniel Fernández, former president and current advisor of the Center for Retail Warehouses, Baristas, Supermarkets and Related of Uruguay (Cambadu) on Monday.
Although Conmebol did not release numbers of tickets sold, the South American final was played last Saturday with only two stands set up at the Centenario stadium due to the meager level of public, which did not reach 20,000 spectators.
It was “like nothing had happened”Added the merchant to local channel 10, stating that he expects the trend to reverse this Saturday. “The big day is that,” he said.
Fernández said he was not “so optimistic” as to believe in “the very high numbers” that the government manages, in reference to the 60,000 people, “but if half comes, it will move the needle for many businesses that are in a very poor situation.” .
That cautious expectation will begin to have answers from this Wednesday, when it is expected that the 240 planes and more than 200 buses planned exclusively for the final will begin to arrive.
Wide operating
Also this Wednesday begins operate the safety device organized by the Uruguayan Police, with 4,000 troops throughout the country who will act together with Migrations to reinforce all points of the border.
“We will tighten the controls so that all the people who are on black lists cannot enter our country to make this a pitched battle that we are not willing to tolerate,” said the Minister of the Interior, Luis Alberto Heber, Tuesday at a press conference.
The authorities will be on alert for possible clashes between Palmeiras and Flamengo, as well as possible clashes with Uruguayan fans.
“We are working hard on prevention. In any situation in which there are confrontations between bars of these teams, the Police will act because they are not going to allow this type of situation ”, assured the Chief of the Police General Staff. Richard Cabral.
The surroundings of the Centenario stadium will be under a wide exclusion zone that will be operational from 06:00 on the day of the match. The doors will open to the public at 11:00, Ecuador. (D)
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