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Maracana Stadium, Sunday 19 March, 18:30RIO - "Onde está Romário?" was the headline in this morning’s issue of the Brazilian sports paper Jornal dos Sports: Where is Romário? It is the most important question in Rio de Janeiro at the moment. Where the heck is he? And what about the rumours that he has handed in his Vasco da Gama contract? Are they well-founded? It’s four o’clock when the game against Flamengo is kicked off in the Maracana Stadium. Today hardly any attention is paid to the final score of the game which is considered to be the most important fixture of the season. There is one question on everybody’s mind: will Romário make an appearance? When the Vasco da Gama players enter the pitch, wearing black-white kit, the player with number eleven is conspicuously missing. Oh no, it’s not true, is it? Will Romário retire from the world of football? Will the mission 'Romário 1000' come to a tragic end? The game is a special event. We are not only in the largest stadium of the world, but the players also put in a spirited and passionate performance. They prefer to round three players and get dispossessed by number four to delivering an innocuous lateral pass. The fans in the stands, swaying to the stirring rhythm of drum bands, are singing at the top of their voices and wave their flags for the full ninety minutes. Cheerfulness abounds. There is a sweltering heat; the temperature has meanwhile risen to 35 degree. Vasco eventually enjoy a 2-1 victory. There was no analysis of the game at the post-match press conference. Romário was the only topic. Has he really handed in his contract? Club President Eurico Mirando categorically denies. "I haven’t heard from Romário" And what if he hands in his contract shortly? "Then I will try to persuade him not to do so. We have no problems with Romário. He will be allowed to keep his privileges. It’s up to him whether he trains or plays. If he turns up tomorrow, I will invite for a meeting. I will tell him there are no problems, as far as we’re concerned. And if he doesn’t turn up tomorrow, I will see him another time."So Romário is still alive. But will he come to the club tomorrow? Nobody knows the answer. Our friend Jacob, a close friend of the striker, has been trying to get in touch with him for days So far his efforts have been in vain. PSV Media are in Rio de Janeiro on the look-out for something Romário. To see him, among other things, about his mission to score one thousand goals. To taste the atmosphere and to see him in action one more time. Because he is Romário de Souza Faria is, the hero of PSV. We will publish entries on PSV.nl on this trip every day until next Thursday.Text: Koen van SantvoordPictures: Maarten Noordijk.
