Corinthians to make 70,000 plots available for supporters and legends in new club graveyard

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Brazilian football club Corinthians have decided to give their fans the opportunity to be buried in a graveyard dedicated for their supporters.

Sao Paulo-based club Corinthians will open a cemetery in 2015, which will according to the club, have 70,000 plots made available.

The 'Corinthians Forever' graveyard will also become the resting place for several top former stars who will be moved to the complex. 

Fanatical Corinthians fans can now choose to be buried alongside club legends at a new graveyard

Plots will cost between $1,870 (£1,169) and $3,240 (£2,027) depending on the area of the complex selected and proximity to club idols who will also be laid to rest at the site. 

Corinthians, or Sport Club Corinthians Paulista, are one of the most famous names in Brazilian football, winning five national titles in their 104-year history, one Copa Libertadores and two FIFA Club World Cups. 

Taking their name from the famous amateur side Corinthian, they were founded in 1910 after the English side blitzed all before them on a tour of Brazil.

Late club legends Teleco, left, and Socrates, right. It is not known whether they will be among the 100 figures from Corinthians history to be moved to the new graveyard

The club has had a fair share of legends plying their trade at the 40,000 Pacaembu Stadium. Most notable of all was Socrates.

The Brazilian captain from the magical national side of 1982 was in his pomp for Corinthians between 1978 and 1984. He passed away in 2011.

The Doctor was inspirational on and off the pitch where he would often take to the field wearing a shirt printed with 'Democracia' in protest at the military government running the country at the time.

Before him there was Roberto Rivelino, famed for taking trickery to a new level and having a powerful left-foot shot.

The Sao Paulo-based club say up to 70,000 plots will be made available for fans in the 'Corinthians Forever' graveyard which is due to open in 2015

The attacking midfielder was christened 'King of the Park' by fans after coming through the youth ranks in 1965 and featuring for the next nine years.

He infamously played in the shock state final defeat to Palmeiras in 1974 in what turned out to be last game.

The fans made him a scapegoat and never forgave him, accusing him of bringing bad luck in an era where the club went without a state trophy between 1954 and 1977. 

The cemetery will also include function rooms, landscaped gardens, a restaurant and a lake and nature reserve, said Ricardo Polito, chief executive of the company in charge of the construction.