Brazil superfan dies aged 60
Football lost one its most colourful characters when Brazil superfan Clovis Fernandes died aged 60 on Wednesday (Sept 16) after a long battle with cancer.
His death was confirmed by Hospital Santa Casa in Porto Alegre.
With his instantly-recognisable moustache, replica World Cup trophy and cowboy hat, Fernandes had been an ever-present among the Selecao support since attending his first of seven World Cup tournaments in 1990.
At the 2014 World Cup, the die-hard fan became the face of distraught Brazil supporters when cameras beamed images of an inconsolable Fernandes watching his team get torn apart by Germany in a 7-1 thrashing in the semi-finals.
While the incident saw him labelled as the saddest fan in the world, Fernandes – who is also known as Gaucho da Copa – later gave his replica trophy to a German fan, reportedly saying to her: "Take it to the final! As you can see, it is not easy, but you deserve it. Congratulations."
PHOTO: IMGUR
World football governing body Fifa led the tributes to Fernandes with a post on their official Instagram account:
The Brazilian Football Federation reported the news on their website:
The German Football Association also did likewise on their Facebook page:
An image showing Fernandes at the seven World Cups he attended as well as a screenshot of him at this year's Copa America has also been circulating around Twitter:
For more about Fernandes, you can also watch his interview with Fifa about being Brazil's 12th man.
Sources: 101 Great Goals, Facebook, Twitter
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