



From now on, Showdowns will never be the same! Two fellow Gaucho-Brazilians from Porto Alegre, archrivals in both soccer and footy, they will meet every midnight (Adelaide time), from Friday to Saturday, in a new podcast on Spreaker.





Thiago currently lives in the USA, while Paulo resides where Brazil meets Argentina, and they will talk on Australian football. No problem! After all, for those who share the passion (and the humour) of a great South American soccer rivalry, distances simply do not matter.





They are "Rivals Without Borders."

Brazilian Thiago Vacite is an example of how exposure to Australian Football can develop a love of the game and the Crows. Thiago has never been to Adelaide or Australia but since he chose the Crows as his team, his passion has been fuelled by joining Facebook forums and watching the games online. Some of Thiago’s Australian online friends are even trying to raise funds to fly him to Australia to watch the Crows at Adelaide Oval: "I'm from Porto Alegre in the south of Brazil and love watching many different sports from around the world but like most people from my country I'm very passionate about soccer. I attended a World Cup game in my home state stadium in 2014 played between Australia and Netherlands and met a few Aussie lads from WA who told me about AFL rules football.

After the disaster of Brazil being knocked out of the tournament by Germany I started watching more and more AFL footy and although I didn't understand the rules well I loved the tough, fast and skilful style of game being played and became hooked quickly. I needed to find a team to follow and found a strong connection to the story and history behind the Adelaide Crows Football Club.

I soon learnt that the Crows were a successful team from one of the smaller cities of Australia and had always had to fight hard against the powerful teams from the bigger city of Melbourne and were struggling to make finals in 2014. I felt my home soccer team (S.C Inter) was in a very similar situation in Brazil and really liked the connection between the two clubs.

I wanted to interact with some other Crows fans to chat about the games and found a few Facebook groups with many passionate fans who have helped me understand the game and everything that surrounds it from the players, rules, rivalries and most importantly the feelings of the dedicated supporters. I was even lucky enough to receive a special package full of Crows gear that included a beautiful Crows guernsey with the famous number 9 on the back that I wear whenever watching the games online, so thank you to my good friend Scott.

The players I enjoy watching the most are Sloane for his heart, passion and commitment to the contest, Tex for the strength, power and leadership he shows in the big moments, Eddie for his magical goals and Milera the skills he shows for such a young player.

My dream is to one day attend a Crows game at Adelaide Oval with Scott and hopefully meet some of the other great members of the Crows forum group for a few beers on the hill. An amazing club with brilliant players and passionate, dedicated supporters."

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We’ve heard of some supporters going to extraordinary lengths to follow Port Adelaide, but how about getting up at 4:30am regularly to catch a game? That is exactly the prospect faced on several occasions this season for one supporter living, of all places, in Brazil.

Paulo Roberto Sanchotene has never been to Australia and his only link to the country is that his brother Pedro visited Sydney for a month in 2010. But that – combined with a chance viewing of an international sports television program - was enough to spark his interest in AFL football and make him Brazil’s biggest Power fan:

“As a kid there was a show Gillette Wide World of Sports or something and there was a part where they showed highlights of different sports. While many of the sports I knew, there was this weird sport on a huge field with lots of players jumping on each other and there were four goal posts at each end and the goal umpires would wear hats. I just thought it looked amazing – but then I didn’t think much about it until my brother came to Australia like 15 years later. All I asked of him was an AFL football and the AFL PlayStation game – and he got me them.”

The 37-year-old is married to Alice and has with two sons, Henrique, 8 and Felipe, 5, and is a mad soccer follower like many of his countrymen. A supporter of Brazilian club Gremio which has won one club World Cup, seven national titles and 36 state championships as well as three Copa Libertadores, the South American club competition. The current South American club champions wear colours very similar to those of Port Adelaide’s AFL side, and the club’s initials PA are the same as his home city Porto Alegre. That was enough to make Paulo a Power supporter too:

“Because the colours were similar I would always play as Port Adelaide on the PlayStation game. And then I moved with my wife to America for four years and came back two years ago. When we moved back to the family farm I found my old Sherrin footy and it made me think 'I wonder how Port Adelaide is doing?' so I looked into it.”

He now follows the club religiously, watching most games through an AFL Live pass and even writing his own blog about the Power’s season called 'Far-West Footy – The struggles of following the Port Adelaide Football Club from the other side of the globe:'

“I searched the club, I read forums on BigFooty, and I just fell in love with the club because everyone there is so passionate and so welcoming. People on the forums have been really willing to tell me the history and all the stories of the success. Suddenly I was so deep into it, I was trapped and now I can’t get away!”

A qualified lawyer, he instead works keeping the books on his family cattle farm in Uruguaiana in the country’s south-west, near the border with Argentina. There he has set up four wooden posts to practise kicking on goal with his children.

Earlier this season he got his first Port Adelaide guernsey and a Charlie Dixon badge, although he says picking a favourite player is a hard ask:

“If I had to pick one, I would go with Sam Powell-Pepper. The boy is a beast. He is an unpolished gem, but a gem nonetheless. I'm probably on the minority who loves congestion and contested footy, and that's precisely SPP's natural habitat - he joins the melees as if he owns them—and he probably does own them. He plays with tonnes of heart, and I love that. He goes in fearless and tackles whomever has the ball, or he simply picks up the footy and disposes of it, as if playing on a public park with friends. He doesn't feel pressure, he’s just awesome.”

Paulo admits his family and friends think he is a bit strange because of his Port Adelaide and AFL obsession, and says not having anyone to discuss the game with in person means he has taken to online forums under the name 'GremioPower.' His blog - where he has written about everything from who should take on the Power in China each year to comments on the SANFL, the Adelaide Crows and how the Power should play like the German national soccer team – is another outlet.

And, while for now he is happy to focus on supporting from afar Paulo is determined one day to get to Australia to see the Power play live:

“I’d love to come to Australia and to visit Port Adelaide,” he said. “To meet some of the people personally who I have already spoken with virtually. To visit Alberton would be incredible, and hopefully watch a game live at Adelaide Oval.”

Source:

---I am going to be on radio! I am co-hosting a footy podcast, "Rivals Without Borders," with my sport nemesis, Thiago Vacite. While I support Grêmio and Port, Thiago barracks for Internacional and West Lakes. Double rivalry!The idea of the show is allowing us sharing our views about anything related to the Showdown — but we may also talk about our experiences with footy, the Grê-Nal derby, and any other subject that may come into the conversation. The English spoken by the hosts might sometimes sound challenging for our listeners, since neither of us has it as first language. We apologize for that already.Hopefully, we can compensate any shortcoming with good humour, interesting anecdotes, some new insights, and different perspectives on the rivalry and the game. The podcast "Rivals Without Borders" will be streamed live (Fridays to Saturdays, at midnight, in Adelaide) on Spreaker: https://www.spreaker.com/show/rivals-without-borders The show is part of the "PortFanRadio" broadcast, along with "BigFooty Port Adelaide," "The Portress," "The Pear," "The Alberton Front Bar," and others shows. Differently from those, however, our podcast won't be mostly Port-centered.As I have said before, half of the fun from being a Port supporter is provided by the Crows. Since the teams are inseparable, why not having a show focused on the rivalry? "Rivals Without Borders" comes to fill such a hole.In our show, Thiago will be responsible for defending the "pride of South Australia" (sic). Good luck with that! I am defending Port.Eventually, it is possible that one of us cannot make it, which will take half of the fun out of the show. Hopefully that will be more exception than the rule, but making two Brazilian being on time together is always a hard task! Perhaps, in the future, we may have other people (from anywhere, even Australia!) doing the show with us.Lest assure, however, that in the case of me being left alone with an open microfone, I will keep joking on the Crows tirelessly — even if there is no one to defend it; even if we are down; and even if they are on top. There is no bad weather!Believe me. I had some 15 years of experience making fun of Internacional while they were better than Grêmio. Now, I am bringing my personal expertise in such matters to Alberton. Fingers crossed, it won't be needed much!I hope we can all enjoy the show.CARN THE POWER!---P.S.: Neither of us is a totally stranger for South Australian footy followers. Both club and franchise have acknowledged our respective allegiances to them.In July 6th, 2016, West Lakes published a story on Thiago in its website:Then, almost precisely two years later, in July 10th, 2018, it was Port who published a story about a Brazilian barracker of its own — me: