Black and Red or Black and White?

If you want to be a real carioca you need to have one favourite samba school and a favourite football team. Finding the samba school was easy. As we visited Unidos da Tijuca of course I am a Tijuca. Their colours are even blue and yellow!!

Finding a football team (in two weeks without even watching a game and having no clue about the teams of Rio) was not as easy. However, already some of the first days I noted some red and black striped flags with some emblem on, that I kind of liked. I saw it everywhere, flags on the beach, stickers on cars and even on the beer cans, but I did not know what it was. On the last day I learned that was the emblem of Clube de Regats do Flamengo, one of the bigger Rio teams, also the club of Ronaldinho. So, I decided Flamengo is my Rio football team. Just because I like their colours and symbol.

Later I learned more about the club and I felt happy with my choice. Not least because it actually started as a rowing team and sill have rowing too, which you can see from the name. But while reading about it I also read about other Rio teams and learned that one of the other big Rio teams is Botafogo de Futelbol e Regatas. Then it became a little bit difficult. Already from the start I just liked the word Botafogo. It just sounds so cool (in Portuguese) and it is so fun to say. Their symbol is a lone white star on a black escutcheon and their colours are consequently black and white. Also very stylish. And they also do rowing. So, now I don't know. Can one have two teams?! Or does that make me unfaithful?!