Without fans, South American clubs lose more at home Sao Paulo (AFP) – Die-hard football fans are convinced their singing, screaming, and cheers can lift their team to victory — and they may be right, at least in South America, where home clubs are winning less with stadiums emptied by the pandemic. AFP analyzed clubs’ results across three first-division seasons in three of the most football-mad countries on Earth — Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay — and found their home performance declined when fans were barred from stadiums because of Covid-19. In Brazil, a country that lives and breathes football, clubs won 202 times at home in 2018, with 110 draws and 68 losses. In 2019, they won 184 matches, with 98 draws and 98 losses.