FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Brasileiro Championship - Athletico Paranaense v Flamengo - Arena da Baixada, Curitiba, Brazil - June 16, 2024 Athletico Paranaense's Fernandinho scores their first goal from the penalty spot past Flamengo's Agustin Rossi REUTERS/Rodolfo Buhrer/File Photo
(Reuters) - Brazilian club Athletico Paranaense have launched a Halloween-themed campaign to engage the support of their fans in their struggle against relegation, demanding not just the hearts but the souls of their supporters.
Fans of other clubs often joke that Paranaense have made a pact with the devil because of the success they have enjoyed despite not being one of Brazil's "Big 12" clubs.
The twice Copa Sudamericana and 2001 Serie A champions have gone 11 league games without a win, however, and on Thursday posted a video on social media replete with all the cliches of the horror movie genre.
"Everyone has heard that we have a pact," said the voiceover.
"The truth is that we do. Not with supernatural beings, but with a force that comes from the stands. The energy of our fans has always inspired us and it will be no different now.
"It has led us to conquer the unimaginable. That only exists because we offer our lives to it. And that will protect us in the most difficult times. Surrender your soul."
Following a 1-0 loss to Fluminense on Tuesday, Paranaense are third from bottom of the 20-team Brazilian top flight with nine games left to play. The bottom four clubs are relegated to Serie B.
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City, editing by Nick Mulvenney and Peter Rutherford)
