During the game, members of Young Flu, a major supporter’s group opened a huge 40m x 40m flag to demand that world leaders do more to create a HungerFREE planet.

Teams Flamengo and Fluminense both usually attract hundreds of thousands of supporters to Rio’s Maracanã stadium and the showdown between them is regarded as the city’s most famous football match.

Inside the stadium, ActionAiders took the opportunity to collect plate-messages to be delivered to UN General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon.

“The main victory was the mobilization of the supporters for the campaign, besides their show in the stadium, opening the huge and other ActionAid flags, they joined massively the plates actions,” said Marcelo Montenegro, head of ActionAid Brazil Youth Activism.

The supporters got so enthusiastic with the great role of their team and the wonderful show of flags that many of them posted congratulations messages at Orkut, the most popular social networking site in Brazil.

“I’m so touched! First the campaign video showed up in the screen, and then the Young Flu opened the huge flag. That was our lucky day, I thought!” wrote Dinho, a Young Flu supporter on Orkut.

“Congratulations for the new huge flag!” said another supporter.

The campaign, translated into Portuguese as AlimentAÇÃO – direito de todos, had already achieved the support of the Fluminese club's football players and managers.

Mr. Roberto Horcades, Fluminense’s president, signed a plate and wrote a message for world leaders.

“It’s very important to bring this issue to the wider public. That’s why we decided to help,” he said.

 

Fluminense football club supporters play a special role in the HungerFREE Campaign, opening a huge flag in Maracana, one of the largest stadiums in the world, during a Flamengo v Fluminese match, October 2007