Suicidal Tour

The 1943 Santa Cruz squad. Players marked with an X died during the tour.

Brazilian professional football club Santa Cruz Futebol Clube toured the North Region of Brazil from 2 January 1943 to 29 April 1943, looking to raise funds in friendly matches. Over the course of almost four months, they played over 25 matches in six different cities, in what became known as the Suicidal Tour (Brazilian Portuguese: Excursão Suicída) and the Death Tour (Brazilian Portuguese: Excursão da Morte), due to the misfortune, danger, and tragedy endured by the club, including a lack of funds, the threat of Nazi attacks and deaths. During the tour, two Santa Cruz players died, and two others left to join other clubs.

Natal and Belém

Mired in a deep financial crisis, Santa Cruz's directors decided to take a "quick spin" in the North Region and participate in exhibition matches against local clubs, looking to bring in more money. Santa Cruz's delegation left Recife, Pernambuco, on 2 January 1943, aboard the steam-powered boat Pará. Due to fears of possible Nazi submarine attacks, the boat had to sail with its lights off, while being escorted by two Brazilian Navy ships. Two days later, it arrived at Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, where the Pernambuco team won against the local state's team by 6–0. Afterwards, Santa Cruz traveled to Belém, where they beat Transviário Esporte Clube by 7–2, Tuna Luso 3–1, drew with the Pará state team by 3–3, 4–4 with Paysandu, and subsequently lost to Remo 5 to 3.

Manaus

While the team's delegation intended for the matches in Belém to be the last ones of the excursion, they were invited to travel to Manaus to play against the local teams, making it the first time a team from Pernambuco visited the city. The club left for Manaus on 25 January, aboard a steamboat towing a shipment of food destined for Acre. Traveling at a speed of ten nautical miles per day, it took two weeks for the squad to arrive to the state of Amazonas.

The team arrived at Manaus on 7 February. Tired and playing under heavy rain, they lost their first game in Amazonas to Olímpico by 3–2. Santa Cruz played four more matches there, winning thrice (5–1 and 5–4 against Rio Negro and 6–0 against Nacional) and losing once to the local state team. Shortly after the first match against Rio Negro, the head of delegation and six players suffered from a bout of dysentery, which did not stop them from participating in the next matches.

After the Manaus matches, the club directors planned for an international leg in Peru and Guyana. However, the trip was blocked by the Brazilian Sports Federation (CBD) due to a request from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for clubs not to leave the country. Under the possibility of being suspended for 90 days, the team gave up and returned to Belém aboard the steamboat Fortaleza. Three players did not come back with the squad, as they were "attracted by good offers" from local teams. While traveling to Belém, two players relapsed from the dysentery. Goalkeeper King and striker Papeira were diagnosed with typhoid fever and hospitalized, both having disobeyed previous medical orders. Santa Cruz intended to return to Recife as soon as possible, but all maritime travel was prohibited by the Brazilian government due to World War II.

Belém to Recife

Unable to buy plane tickets and needing to cover food and medical costs, the club had to keep playing matches to gather more money. Santa Cruz played against Remo on 2 March, winning 4–2. Defender Pedrinho was sent an arrest warrant shortly before the match, being accused of "doing evil to a 17-year-old girl" during his stay in Manaus. It turned out that the police officer who ordered his arrest was also a club director, and was interested in the player's abilities. The story was fake, and the player was never arrested.

Santa Cruz entering the field before a game in Belém

Santa Cruz suffered their first casualty shortly thereafter, as King died from typhoid fever on 4 March 1943, at 02:35. His funeral was attended by various figures of Pará football, representatives of the CBD and the clubs where he played, and several Pernambuco authorities. The coffin was taken from the Pará Sports Federation headquarters to a cemetery, being accompanied by a large crowd. He was buried at 16:00. Because of King's death, Sidinho, who had defected to the club a week earlier, gave up and returned to Santa Cruz.

The club then played against Paysandu, just three days after the death. A minute of silence was held before the match. At 16:30, before the end of the game, the players received the news that Papeira had also died. After the end of the match, the pitch was invaded by fans who commemorated with the players, and Santa Cruz received the Taça Cidade de Recife. After losing two players, the club directors looked into returning to Recife via air travel, but the hospital and funeral costs left the delegation without money. Santa Cruz played five more games in Belém, before starting the journey back to Pernambuco on 28 March.

Traveling first to São Luís, Maranhão, via boat, the players had to swap their first-class tickets for third-class ones to save on money. They were forced to travel alongside thirty-five thieves who were being "exported" by Pará police to Maranhão. As a safety measure, the fifteen trophies won by Santa Cruz in the tour were hidden. However, this precaution proved unnecessary as the thieves and the players became friends. In São Luís, the boat was retained for security purposes, and the club played six matches there, one of which featured the ship's cook as a player, substituting for an injured teammate. Santa Cruz originally intended to depart to Recife after a match against Sampaio Corrêa (the fourth in Maranhão), but the delegation decided to play two more matches before leaving. The ship departed at midnight, but had to return to São Luís due a thunderstorm and the presence of German submarines in the sea.

The players then decided to go to Teresina, Piauí, via train. The train derailed twice, but without any casualties. Santa Cruz played another match in Piauí before departing to Fortaleza, Ceará, by bus. There, they played the last match of the excursion, losing to Ceará Sporting Club 3–2. On 29 April 1943, almost four months after starting the tour, Santa Cruz arrived in Recife. The players returned to playing football on 2 May for the Campeonato Pernambucano. Papeira's briefcase was given to his family, but King's briefcase could not be returned as it was lost in the sea back in São Luís.

References

Bibliography

• Aragão, Lenivaldo (28 December 1979). "A Excursão da Morte" [The Death Tour]. Placar (in Brazilian Portuguese). No. 505. Editora Abril. Archived from the original on 23 May 2024. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
• Costa, Brenno (31 March 2020). ""Excursão suicida" do Santa Cruz sofreu com ameaça nazista e teve dois mortos: conheça essa história" [Santa Cruz's "suicide tour" suffered from Nazi threats and two deaths: learn about the story]. ge (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 26 April 2024. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
• Guedes, Marcos (29 April 2023). "Há 80 anos, Santa Cruz completava 'a maior epopeia da história humana'" [80 years ago, Santa Cruz completed 'the greatest epic in human history']. Folha de S.Paulo (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 26 April 2024. Retrieved 26 April 2024.