The Finals of the CONMEBOL Sudamericana™ have just been played and there is a deserved winner – Athletico Paranaense. We congratulate the team and hope that the fans had a blast watching their favorite to conquer the Copa after a long road to the Finals. Throughout the Group Stage, both teams showed their capability to consistently win, and this culminated in the participation in the Finals of this season. So, it happened, that Athletico Paranaense went head-to-head with Red Bull Bragantino on November 20 at 20:00 UTC at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay – one of the most prestigious and historic venues in South America.
PayRetailers attended the Finals
PayRetailers, as an Official Sponsor of the CONMEBOL Sudamericana™ had the chance to attend the final match. A selection of our staff – six lucky chosen ones – being country managers, project managers and the CEO, travelled to Uruguay to see the match and take in the football atmosphere with like-minded football fans from around the world at the venue.
But it was not only about the match. Our delegates had their day packed with events that created memories to have for their lives. In the afternoon, a hospitality event with a meet and greet took place that enabled us to meet people from all walks of football and business. We could talk to all other sponsors and managers of the CONMEBOL football association. This was a valuable hour for us, to be able to exchange ideas and meet more of the people that act behind the scenes.
After getting to know each other or meeting old acquaintances respectively, approximately an hour later we got the chance to have a photo session with Sebastian Abreu – a Uruguayan legend who played for the national team.
Washington Sebastián Abreu Gallo, who was born in 1976, is famous for having played for the most team of any player in history – 29 teams throughout his career. In 1996, he started playing for the national team with playing against China. He managed to shoot his first goal in his 2nd ever appearance for Uruguay 9eight day later in a match against Japan. In the years 2002 and 2010 he played at the FIFA World Cup for Uruguay. At the latter tournament, he converted the decisive penalty for Uruguay in the Quarterfinal against Ghana on July 2, 2010, in Johannesburg to make the final score 5-3 with a dipping shot into the middle of the goal, similar to that of Zinédine Zidane in the 2006 World Cup final. Abreu at that time already was known for converting penalties in this manner, such as in the Campeonato Carioca final with Botafogo FR in April 2010 or in the Copa América 2007 semifinal against Brazil.
At 5pm, the match started, and our colleagues had the chance to observe the field from their private VIP room. The atmosphere was cheerful since all fans finally had the chance to see their teams in real life again. For PayRetailers, one of the highlights was the company branding prominently being shown on the big screens – testament to the achievement in business and therefore enablement for the fans to make football happen.
After the final whistle blew, there was only one last activity left to do: celebrating with the fans and talking about all the memories this remarkable 2021 edition of the Copa Sudamericana™ has brought. PayRetailers remains to be an Official Sponsor for the next season in 2022. After a deserved pause and festive season, we are eager to let the games begin again next year!
