Brazilian tourists hit the airwaves before take-off!

Corinthian Casuals’ commercial director and former player Chris Watney squeezed in a last minute interview on BBC 5 Live's Non-League Show before jetting off to Brazil with rest of the Ryman South club's tour party in the early hours of Sunday morning.

After going down to a 5-1 defeat at the hands of Redhill at King George's Field on Saturday, Casuals jetted out of Heathrow hours later at 4am to fly the flag for the Isthmian League on the week long tour that climaxes with a friendly for Matt Howard's side at the São Paulo home of the Brazilian giants they helped inspire, Corinthians-Paulista.

Such is the interest over the game in the football-mad South American nation that nearly 50,000 fans at the Corinthians Arena and millions more on national TV, are expected to be watching when the clubs meet next Sunday.

The friendly should have been played 100 years ago but was shelved after the outbreak of World War I and three previous tours in 1910, 1913 and 1914 that are still credited today for the foundation of the Brazilian club.

Watney, pictured, made a film on the links between the clubs last year ahead of the World Cup and he told BBC 5 Live's Non-League listeners how he'd come up with the idea for the tour to coincide with the city of São Paulo’s 100th anniversary celebrations.

Watney had no doubt the camera equipment he'd packed for the new documentary he was making would capture the passion that Paulista fans display for their 'English forefathers'. When they were asked to select an opponent for the anniversary game from Barcelona, Real Madrid and Chelsea, an overwhelming 61 per cent of the poll wanted Corinthian-Casuals.

Corinthian's last sent their first team to Brazil in 1988 when Sócrates famously wore a Casuals shirt. At the start of the current campaign in August, they unveiled their new kit for the 2014-15 season in Brazil at the headquarters of their Brazilian brothers.

Purpose built for the World Cup, the Corinthians Arena holds almost 48,000 fans and hosted last June's opening ceremony along with six matches including the semi-final between Argentina and Holland.

Former England wicket-keeper Alec Stewart, the son of Micky Stewart, the former Casuals player and the first manager of the England cricket team, is a firm supporter of the club and he was at Saturday's game in Tolworth to help send off Howard's side.

After being given time off to represent the league, they are due to return to action when they host Carshalton Athletic in Ryman South on Saturday 31 January.

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