KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Brazilian Chiefs fans waited more than seven hours at Guarulhos Airport, in the state of São Paulo, to welcome the team.
In a mix of Brazilian and American cultures, dozens of fans tailgated, bringing coolers filled with beer, seltzers, and fried chicken.
Chiefs fans in Brazil say they’ve fully embraced football culture.
“We brought a cooler with some drinks to wait for the guys because we knew it would take a little while,” said Matheus Roseira, a Chiefs fan since Cairo Santos played for the team.
That little while turned into seven hours at São Paulo’s airport for Roseira — all to welcome the Chiefs.
“I didn’t want to risk something happening along the way and not having the opportunity to see them here,” Roseira said in a Zoom interview conducted in Portuguese.
He was joined by dozens of other fans.
“It’s surreal to me. It’s kind of… kind of crazy,” he said.
It’s also been a surreal experience for the Thorp family, who traveled from Olathe to São Paulo.
“Very impressive, very big city too. It took us two hours to get to our hotel,” said Lee Ann Thorp.
Even though they don’t speak Portuguese, she says language isn’t a problem.
“We may not be able to talk to each other much, but I think we both speak the language of football. So you know, I think it’s gonna be fun,” Lee said.
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KSHB 41 reporter Fernanda Silva covers stories in the Northland. She also focuses on issues surrounding immigration. Share your story idea with Fernanda.
