SANTOS’ relegation to Brazil’s Serie B sparked scenes of despair and fury across Sao Paolo.
The club, who were made famous through Pele‘s stint with them from 1956 until 1974 have never been relegated in their 111 year history until now.
CBSPlayers broke down following their unlikely relegation[/caption]
CBSAnd had to take refuge in the changing rooms away from angry fans[/caption]
TwitterFans could not believe their eyes[/caption]
TwitterCars were set on fire following the relegation[/caption]
Their 2-1 defeat to Fortaleza today saw them finish the season one point short of survival.
It was a particularly agonising way for their unbroken stint in Brazil‘s top division to end – with Fortaleza netting a 96th minute winner through Juan Martin Lucero.
Santos had gradually dropped from mid-table to just above the relegation zone after going without a win in their last five games.
Santos needed many factors to go against them to go down, and, remarkably, everything did.
Santos were 15th as they went into the final day with Vasco da Gama on 42 points and Bahia on 41 points both below them in the table.
But with both sides winning their games and Santos losing in the last minute, they ended the day below the dreaded dotted line.
To make matters worse, cross-city rivals Palmeiras won the title on the same day.
Their defeat and subsequent relegation sparked scenes of despair and disbelief in equal measure.
TwitterSmoke billowed into the air from the fires of burning cars[/caption]
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CBS’s coverage showed fans and players alike breaking down in tears and many shaking their heads in confusion.
Emotions of sadness soon turned to anger as police had to keep fans from breaking onto the pitch and flares were thrown onto the field.
A banner unfurled by fans in the stadium read: “Second, sometimes. In the second [division], never.”
Furious fans sought to show the team just how unacceptable their relegation was by rioting in the city.
Multiple videos on social media showed cars being set on fire in the city as Sao Paolo fell into a collective sense of grief.
According to reports in Brazil, one of the cars set alight belonged to Santos forward Stiven Mendoza.