The examples of love, support and healthy coexistence that fans from this part of the world have given are several, showing that soccer is a sport that does have positive stories

Latin American soccer has been stigmatized by constant disputes originating in continental competitions, such as the Copa Libertadores de América or Copa Sudamericana. However, it is undeniable that solidarity, love and healthy coexistence are an inseparable part of the fans of Latin American soccer. In LatinAmerican Post we remember some examples.

Leer en español: 3 momentos en los que el poder del fútbol nos unió

Soccer is even bigger than the love of a mother

The classic between Palmeiras and Corinthians on September 9, valid for the Brazilian Championship, not only meant a new triumph of verdão, it was also a sign of infinite love. Globo Esporte's television cameras captured a mother narrating the game to her son with a visual disability.

They are Silvia Grecco and her 11-year-old son, Nickollas, who are big fans of Palmeiras. According to Globo Esporte, Nickollas was born in the fifth month of gestation, which did not allow him to develop his retinas. In addition, he had to stay four months more hospitalized, but could finally be adopted by Silvia who was on the list with 12 other families.

The world of sports was moved by the images of that mother narrating the game to her young son, so they were invited to the Palmeiras training. There he met his idols, and subsequently attended a VIP tour of the club's stadium. "It's the place he likes the most in the whole world," Silvia said in a statement for Globo Esporte.

It was there that Nickollas was closer than ever to his beloved club. "It's not impressive, it's impressive, he's left with a vibration, all the muscles, everything's moving, a big smile, it's contagious," said Silvia.

The amateur who protected a player

On September 12, for the second round of the Argentine Cup, the River Plate of the first division faced the Club Atlético Platense of the second division. The meeting ended with triumph of the Millionaires over the Platense, leaving the Squid eliminated from the Cup.

However, this was not the hardest hit of the night. According to the All News media, Facundo Curuchet, goal scorer and team figure, suffered a fracture of the fibula of his right foot after an unfortunate play. The elimination of the Cup and the injury of his star player saddened all the Platense fans, but Marcelo Tocco, a fan of the club that did not decay, had the fortune to see Curuchet days later.

"I was in my place and I see a wheelchair with Platense pants, and I thought it could be Facundo, it was really him." The first thing I did was hug him and give him a kiss and my support. I offered to cover the rent," said Tocco in an interview with Todo Pasión of Todo Noticias.

"It was a gesture I made in the name of the Platense fan to give back what they give us, we demand so much from them and they return it to us on the court. Sometimes we have to have gestures of gratitude and make them feel better," said the Argentine fan, who demonstrated the exemplary unconditionality of the Latin American fans.

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Neither the greatest rivalry separates a great friendship

César Daza and José Richard Gallego are two Colombian friends whose friendship story is unique. José has Usher syndrome, which left him progressively with hearing and visual disabilities. César knows Braille and is responsible for communicating different things to José. Both love soccer, but José is a fan of Millonarios and César is a fan of Santa Fe, the two biggest rival teams in the Colombian capital.

According to El Tiempo, both met a few years ago in a church in Bogotá and from that moment they formed such a great friendship. César assists with José to the Nemesio Camacho el Campín Stadium to narrate the games of Millonarios and Santa Fe. "One day, César told me about a game in Colombia and I could not express the happiness I felt, "José said in statements to the same media.

Cesar sits facing the playing field and José sits in front of him, they join their knees and on them they place a board with the relief of a soccer field, where Cesar puts José's hands to recreate the match in real time, in addition to the context of the stadium. "I try to tell him how many people there are, where we are located, who is close to us … that he can feel in the situation and enjoy the experience as a seer, listener or speaker," said Cesar in the same interview.

Both attended the unprecedented final of Colombian soccer between Millonarios and Santa Fe in December 2017. Although the one that was held was José with his team Ambassador, both celebrated soccer in peace and their friendship remained as unwavering as ever, generating great international recognition. Thus, Latin America continues to demonstrate that despite the altercations, its soccer continues to be the source of an overflowing passion and solidarity.

LatinAmerican Post | Javier Aldana

Translated from "Los 3 momentos más tiernos del fútbol latinoamericano"

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