How Coritiba fans' demands helped confirm the women's team's historic game at Couto

The Coritiba women's team will play the second phase of the Copa do Brasil at Couto Pereira . The club confirmed this Thursday (5) that the game between Coxa and Rolim de Moura , from Rondônia, will be at Alto da Glória, on Wednesday (11), at 7 pm. This will be the first time that the Coxa-Branca team will be at the stadium.

The news comes after pressure from organized sectors of the green and white fans, such as the Gurias do Couto collective. The game will also feature the drum section and the organized Império Alviverde fans.

One of the participants of Gurias do Couto, Natália de Oliveira Penkal celebrated the change of the game from CT da Graciosa to Couto. She hopes that this will not be the only opportunity to see the players in the stadium and asked for greater attention to be paid to the sport.

“It’s an unprecedented feat, it’s the first game in the history of Coritiba women’s football in its stadium and, as Gurias do Couto, we feel part of this achievement. We’ve been talking about women’s football for six years and even more so in the last two years. When, in fact, we received positions from the club that we didn’t agree with, but we were very pleased that they changed the way they see women’s football, bringing it closer to the fans, making the Coxa-Branca fans get to know the squad” , the fan told UmDois Esportes.

“We hope that this will be the first step towards the fans getting to know the players, so that they feel part of Coritiba, just as all players in other categories feel part of it. We want them to feel embraced, to feel honored. Império Alviverde will be there with drums, with equipment and this shows that we honor them as much as men's football, as much as the youth team, they are just as important to us.” , he completed.

Coritiba's women's team has had several versions and was even dismantled after the men's team was relegated. Since 2022, even with the relegation to Série B the following year, the team has continued to play and stands out in state championships, with frequent participation in the Brasileirão A3 and, more recently, in the Copa do Brasil.

Even so, Alviverde never hosted the athletes' games at their own stadium. The Graciosa CT was always reserved for them, without the possibility of spectators. On social media, the Gurias do Couto collective had been protesting for Coxa to take greater care of the team.

“We want to see our professional athletes up close, and we will repeat as many times as necessary the appeal we made last year, and now with no lawn under maintenance, no stadium closed for a show and no men's game on the same date: free up Couto for the girls”, says a post on the women's collective's Instagram.

The demands were not limited to social media and involved behind-the-scenes conversations to ensure the club understood the importance of giving visibility to the women's team. During this season, Coxa invested in broadcasts and invited members of the women's collective to be part of the on-site coverage.

Coxa secured a spot in the second phase of the competition after beating UDA-AL on penalties on May 28 at the Rei Pelé Stadium in Maceió. The match ended in a 0-0 draw and Coxa secured a 5-4 victory on penalties.

Rafa Vargas, Sibele, Giusti, Xing and Evy all scored for Alviverde and guaranteed the Gurias do Couto a place in the next phase. Another team from Paraná in the competition, Toledo lost 3-1 to Brasil de Farroupilha and was eliminated from the competition.

Now in the second phase, the 16 qualified teams joined the 16 teams from the Brasileirão Feminino A2. In the third phase, the 16 teams from the Brasileirão A1, the elite of Brazilian women's football, which includes teams such as Corinthians, São Paulo, Flamengo, Palmeiras and Cruzeiro, enter. The final is scheduled for November 19.

Alviverde secured a spot in the competition after finishing as runner-up in the Campeonato Paranaense Feminino. Toledo took the second spot, inheriting it from Athletico after the club discontinued its women's team.

The CBF has brought back the women's Copa do Brasil after nine years. The competition will feature a total of 65 clubs from the three national divisions and representatives from all of the country's federations.

The first time the women's Copa do Brasil took place was in 1994, and since then Vasco has been the biggest winner, with three titles. Santos, Portuguesa and São José have two trophies each. The last winner was Corinthians/Audax, when the teams still had a partnership, in 2016.

In this edition, the champion will secure a spot in the Brazilian Super Cup next season. There is still no information on whether the CBF will award prizes to the champions.