They Set Their Stadium on Fire – Now They're Back In The Stands

Football fans are often a rowdy bunch.

Following your team through thick and thin brings out a unique type of passion, a passion that can often spill over into the downright ridiculous.

Over the years, England has cracked down on what they deem as antisocial fan behaviour, to the point where you aren't even allowed to take a bottle cap into the stadium.

But I think it's safe to say those safety measures don't exactly apply all over the world…

In relativity, the English fan culture these days is pretty tame compared to the atmospheres you see in other countries and continents.

And that, let's call it madness, of 'ultras' across the globe is nowhere more obvious than in the football-crazy continent of South America.

Massive stadiums, massive fanbases and some of the most insane ambience that the sport has to offer characterise its love for the beautiful game.

One of the best examples of these insane atmospheres I reference is the Brazilian side Corinthians.

And when I say insane, I mean it in both senses of the word… The swell of noise and expression of fervour are like not many others, but there are occasions where that goes slightly too far…

In fact, yesterday marked the return of a good chunk of their fanbase after a 6-month stadium ban… yes, you heard that right.

A Fiery Atmosphere… Literally

In the second leg of the 2025 Paulistão Campeonato final against Palmeiras, the Corinthians fans were having a whale of a time.

1-0 up from the first leg, and with the second being played at their home of the Neo Química Arena, the supporters were understandably in a joyous mood.

So much so that they were shaking the very foundations of the stadium, chanting and setting off flares.

It was a sight to behold; that was until they got just a tad carried away and essentially set the stadium on fire.

Yup, you read that correctly; they set their own home stadium on fire… Can you imagine that happening in an English stadium in 2025?

This led, pretty understandably, to the football federation imposing a ban on six different organised fan groups and preventing them from entering the stadium for six months.

An Atmosphere Worthy of a 6-Month Wait

Yesterday marked the end of the ban, with the organised fan groups finally being allowed back into the stadium to watch their beloved club, albeit now with some much-needed safety measures in place to prevent the same thing happening again.

Imagine being banned from doing what could well be the most important part of your life… The eagerness to get back would be palpable.

And it is fair to say that was backed up by the atmosphere inside the stadium.

The stands were a sea of black and white, bouncing up and down for what felt like an eternity.

But it wasn't just much needed for the fanbase, it was much needed for the players too and saw them come away with a comfortable 2-0 win against Gremio.

Corinthians haven't been able to find the spark that saw them perform at such a high level last year and currently find themselves in 10th place in the Brazilian Serie A.

With only six games and the Brazilian cup, in which they are at the semi-final stage, still to play for, a serious upturn in form is desperately needed.

And with the majority of their absolutely mental fanbase now back and roaring the team on, we might yet see just that.