It is considered one of the most infamous matches of South American football: Brazil and Chile met for a crucial 1990 World Cup qualifier in the Maracana.
Nicknamed El Maracanazo in Chile, experts call it one of the craziest and shameful matches in football history - and it has another dark twist in its legacy.
Unbeknownst to many, a tragedy unfolded at the same time in the Brazilian skies - and according to reports, the clash in Rio de Janeiro might have played a part in a catastrophic series of events involving a local flight. 27 years before the Chapecoense disaster, Brazilian football and aviation tragedies crossed paths for the first time.
Sunday, September 3rd, 1989
At 9:43 am, Varig Flight 254 took off on its usual São Paulo - Belem route, with five different layovers on the way - scheduled to arrive at its final destination later in the evening.
But it was no routine morning for the Brazilian nation. The Seleção were scheduled to square off against Chile in a direct battle for a ticket to the 1990 World Cup in Italy. Needless to say what the atmosphere would be in Brazil before such a game. A football crazed nation, a crucial World Cup qualifier, you do the math. Any other aspect of life becomes peripheral.
The CONMEBOL qualifying format was different from that of previous campaigns: Teams were divided into three groups of three, and only the group winners advance through. Group C contained Brazil, Chile and the weaker Venezuela.
From the beginning, it was clear: Brazil and Chile would battle for the top spot. Both teams beat the Venezuelans, and clashed with each other in Santiago three weeks prior, on August 13th. A hot and violent game ended in a 1-1 draw, with three red cards shown, including one after three minutes to young striker Romario. “It was not a game, it was a war,” the Chilean media reported the following day.
Entering the final match, Brazil and Chile were tied for first place - but Brazil had a superior goal difference, meaning that the Chileans had to win in the Maracanã to top the group. A home loss and Brazil would miss out on the World Cup for the first time.
In the city of Marabá, Pará, some 2000 km from Rio de Janeiro, Varig Flight 254’s crew is preparing for its final leg after smoothly going through the previous four stops. Captain Cézar Augusto Padula Garcez and First Officer Nilson de Souza Zille were also heard discussing the World Cup Qualifier, just before its kickoff. Like the entire country, they were probably also tense about the game. At 17:45, they took off, for a journey of approximately one hour.
Over in the Maracanã, Brazil and Chile kicked off their match in front of 140,000 spectators. Chilean goalkeeper Roberto Rojas, who played at the time for São Paulo FC, made some great saves early on as the hosts piled the pressure - even though they only needed a draw. The visitors mostly stuck to time-wasting and parking the bus. Four minutes into the second half, Careca got the breakthrough after a Rojas error. 1-0 Brazil.
At the same time, the Varig flight seemed to have some difficulties: 40 minutes into the trip, the pilots were confused regarding their whereabouts. Although they received clearance to land from the Belem air traffic control, they could not see the city on the horizon. In an improvised attempt to figure out their location, the pilots tune in to local radio stations - however, all of them were broadcasting the match. As they continued to navigate through the Amazonas, the plane was starting to run out of fuel.
Meanwhile, in Rio, the match reached its boiling point: In the 67th minute, a firecracker was thrown from the stands towards the Chilean box. Rojas, who up until that moment was responsible for the game’s biggest moments, took his antics to a whole new level: Although not being hit by the projectile, he laid down on the floor and pretended to be hurt.
As players and medics ran to help, the atmosphere seemed to escalate. A bloody Rojas was carried off by his teammates, who then left the pitch in protest. Striker Patricio Yáñez made a provocative gesture towards the fans, grabbing his genitals (later dubbed “to do a Pato Yáñez” in Chile). The game was abandoned. Before FIFA investigated the events - there was a valid fear among Brazilians that Chile might be awarded an automatic win, and thus qualify to the World Cup at their expense.
"I was shocked," said Ricardo Gomes, Brazil’s captain on the day, to CNN. "I immediately thought we were going to lose the chance to go to the World Cup. It was really bad”.
Roberto Rojas, carried by his teammates
In the skies, Varig Flight 254 couldn’t find its way and went into fuel exhaustion. At 21:06, both engines shut down, and the plane crash-landed deep in the Amazon jungle - 1400 km from Belem. Of the 54 passengers and crew, 13 died, and many sustained severe injuries. The survivors were rescued two days later.
Aftermath
Both pilots survived the crash. It was later determined that Captain Garcez has mistakenly entered a wrong direction to the flight plan - flying west instead of north. First Officer Zille failed to notice and correct the issue. According to reports, some passengers alerted the cabin crew that the plane is flying in the wrong direction, but to no avail.
Besides the major navigational mistake by both pilots, it was also their stubbornness to acknowledge their error during the flight and ask for help, that eventually led to the crash. Their decision to tune into local radio stations, which broadcasted the game, has led to even more confusion regarding the plane’s location.
It was also reported that the Belem air traffic controller was distracted by the Brazil - Chile encounter as well, and was slow to issue an alarm regarding the plane’s situation, a fact he should have noticed. He was reported to having “one ear on the broadcast, and one ear on flight communication”.
Many people still believe the pilots were distracted by the dramatic match - but its exact connection to the crash will never be known for certain.
The subsequent investigation of the Rojas incident found that his bleeding was self-inflicted, using a razor blade concealed in his glove, similar to the “blading” technique used in professional wrestling. It was his final act as a professional footballer, as he was given a lifetime ban from the game. “I cut myself with a razor and the farce was discovered,” he later admitted to local media. “It was a cut to my dignity. I had problems at home with my wife and with my team-mates. But if I were Argentine, Uruguayan or Brazilian, I would not be suspended.”
The match was awarded as a 2-0 victory to Brazil, and Chile was banned from participating in the 1994 World Cup qualifiers. The projectile was discovered to be thrown by Rosenery Mello do Nascimento, a 24-year-old female fan, who later rose to fame - even appearing on Playboy after two months. She was nicknamed the “Maracanã Rocket”, and died in 2011 from a brain aneurysm.
Rojas’ ban was lifted in 2001, and he later surprisingly returned to SPFC as a goalkeeping coach and manager. Players such as Rogério Ceni previously cited Rojas’ contribution to their career. "He always insisted that I had to work a lot with my feet", confessed the São Paulo legend, who later broke the world record for goals scored by a goalkeeper.
After FIFA’s decision, Brazil could breathe a sigh of relief. The national team qualified to Italy 1990, and the events of September 3rd left them unscathed - only staining Chilean legacy in the process. However, for everyone related to Varig Flight 254, this day will forever remain a tragic one.