After Athletic's victory over the Goiás last Saturday, in Serrinha, Odair Hellmann starred in an emotion-laden pronouncement, reaffirming the need for team and cheer union for the upcoming challenges of Series B. The coach spared no energy by talking about the fan's role in the final leg of the competition and reinforced the importance of unconditional support in decisive moments.
Odair extolled the fans' dedication, thanked them for coming to the games and stressed that now it's time to push the team to access: "Now, fan, it's time for that union I talked about back there. We need to get 50,000 people inside the Arena and 10,000 people on the street. We need to get the bus to the locker room, scream the player's name, support the guys and push the ball in. It is not a matter of pact, it is of passion and love of the club."
The coach made it clear that Athletico depends only on his own wins to secure Series A next year, remembering that each remaining match should be treated as a final: "It's three games, two at home. Don't think that, because we're going to face a team down there that's going to be easy. None of the games have been. It's gonna be extremely difficult. We will have to control the excitement and have balance to beat an opponent that is too difficult."
In his pronouncement, Odair recognized the challenges faced by the crowd after a turbulent year and the biggest shame in the club's history, but called for focus on the present: "Forget what happened, now it's playing ball, supporting everyone and making it happen. Keep the ball and, in our house, we send it."
We need to get 50,000 people inside the Arena and 10,000 people on the street. Support the guys and push the ball in. It's not a matter of pact, it's of passion and love for the club
Hurricane's next challenge is against the Round Tour, in the Arena da Baixada, on Saturday at 6:30 p.m., which Odair describes as crucial to keeping alive the chance of direct access: "So we can fill the Arena together. Encourage from start to finish and take the team back when he needs it. You're damn right, we'll deliver to the last sweat of the soul. We're gonna make it, Hurricane. Let's all go together."
Odair Hellmann's message reinforces that more than tactical and technical, the passion of the crowd will be Atlético's fuel in the next games, turning the stadium into a real cauldron to push the team towards Series A.
