Morning
We all went to the Hippe Fair.  It was good some of the boys bought things for their families.

Afternoon - THE MATCH
Bola Pra Frete was packed with nearly 300 children  and around 50-60 adults.

John and Georginio both did speeches and Daniel Fox presented Georginio with a traditional miners lamp. There was an amazing performance from the Affro Reggae project along with performers from other groups.

The band played the national anthems and then the kids then played the match.  The score at half time was 3-1. but sadly we lost 4-2.  Mason scored both England goals.  They did us proud!

There were some amazing Brazilian players who are used to the heat.

Evening
We went to watch a match at the Maracanã stadium

We have just been to the Maracanã stadium. The boys loved it. We walked around the stadium and we were amazed at the size of it, as it seats 95,000.  The boys saw someone demonstrating football tricks, so they also had a go.

In the afternoon we went to the Sugar Loaf Mountain. Even those who were scared of heights made it!

We saw different parts of Rio from the top  and took lots of photos.

Evening
Special dinner with the British Council

The Manton Spitfires Junior Football Team arrived safely in Rio and began the day by visiting Bola Pra Frente, where they were greeted by friendly Brazilians who held up a sign welcoming the Manton Spitfires to Brazil.

After being shown around the classrooms and rooms where they teach and help the children from the surrounding favella, the Manton Spitfires Junior Football Team began their training for the big match on Sunday. They trained using their sand-based pitch and were given trainers to wear specifically for this. Bola Pra Frente were very accommodating and provided lunch.

They are all looking forward to the football match on Sunday. Sunday is also Bola Pra Frente’s 8th Birthday celebrations, so they have organised a programme for the whole afternoon. John Mann will be opening the programme at 1pm (local time) on Sunday.

Following training the group were taken to another favella by Affro Reggae, who are similar to Bola Pra Frente, where they use dance, art and drama instead of football to bring children into a positive environment and away from gangs, crime, drugs and poverty and ensure that they get a hot meal everyday.

Instead of looking at the project in detail with Affro Regge the group walked around the favella. We learnt that this favella is better than some of the favellas in Brazil. The group saw the homes people live in, local children playing on the streets, people walking around with guns and spoke to shop keepers and people on the street through an interpreter. This experience was an eye opener for the team and they could not believe the project was guarded by armed guards.

Manton Spitfires are off! The only England team to be playing an international match this weekend have set off from Worksop and are on their way to Rio. Keep in touch with their progress by following the Bassetlaw to Brazil Blog here!