Flamengo’s departure for Qatar began early in the afternoon of this Saturday (6). At 12:45 p.m., the players and technical staff boarded the official bus at Ninho do Urubu, Vargem Grande, to begin their journey to Tom Jobim International Airport (Galeão). The convoy left the training center around 1 p.m., accompanied by military police, and is already heading towards the northern area of Rio. The debut will take place on Wednesday, December 10 in Doha, when Rubro-Negro will face Cruz Azul, from Mexico, in the so-called Derby of the Americas, a duel that counts for a place in the next phase against Pyramids, towards the expected decision against Paris Saint-Germain.
According to the club’s schedule, the charter flight of the red-black team should take off at 3:00 p.m., but the whole operation began at 11:30 a.m., at two different points: Ninho, where the delegation left, and the Aroldo Melodia terminal, in the Cidade Universitária, where supporters gathered to watch the team’s departure.
The planned route includes passage through Salvador Allende, Embaixador Abelardo Bueno, Engenheiro Carlos Carvalho, Curva Chico Anysio, Ayrton Senna avenues, as well as Linha Amarela, Linha Vermelha, Ponte Velha do Galeão, with direct access to the airport cargo terminal.
The trip to Doha will last approximately 18 hours, divided into two sections of approximately eight hours each. The flight makes a technical stop to refuel in Accra, the capital of Ghana.
The red and black delegation is expected to arrive in Qatar on Sunday morning (local time).