Opinion: Overreaction to Santos’ defeat as Barcelona are praised

The general reaction in Brazil and to some extent abroad to Barcelona’s easy win against Santos in the Club World Cup final has been that Barcelona play what is supposed to be Brazil’s style while Santos’ defeat is deemed a sign that Brazilian football has changed for the worse, distancing itself from its traditional roots.

Better teams usually win

Reality is far more complex though, as the match was not a battle between two styles or philosophies, it was instead a battle between Barcelona’s fantastic team and a far weaker team such as Santos.

Barcelona, regardless of their style, feature a number of top players such as Xavi, Iniesta, Piqué, Daniel Alves, Cesc Fàbregas and they have in Messi the best player in the world.

Santos, on the other hand, have only two top class players – Ganso and Neymar – and a few other players such as Elano, Borges, Danilo and goalkeeper Rafael that are good but nowhere near the quality of Barcelona’s players. Also unlike Barcelona, Santos have a poor defense that showed signs of weakness throughout the season.

Barcelona do not play like Brazil used to

Another mistake is the belief that Barcelona crushed Santos due to playing a style resembling how Brazil used to play, as Barcelona’s tiki-taka style is beautiful and efficient, and thus deemed comparable to the beautiful football traditionally attributed to Brazilian football.

There are though differences between Barcelona’s style and Brazi’s style in the 1970 or 1982, as Barcelona try to keep possession for as long as possible, preventing the other team to threaten them, furthermore, Barcelona’s pressing game force their opponents to make mistakes and lose possession.

Brazil had a completely different approach back then, trying to play their own game, but not preventing the other team to play as well. That’s the style known as joga e deixa jogar (play and let the other team play), leading to more open games. But even in those times Brazil and Brazilian teams would employ ugly football if needed, as showed by Brazil in the 1974 World Cup and by São Paulo in the 1977 edition of the Brasileirão

The style played in Brazil and by Brazil evolved since then though, as more emphasis is given nowadays on physical players and the style is more defensive-minded, focusing often on counter-attacks. Thanks in part to that new mentality, Brazil won the World Cup in 1994, and Brazilian teams managed to beat European teams several times in the old Intercontinental Cup and the Club World Cup. Thus, those changes benefited Brazil, bringing more success than what was achieved in the 1970s and 1980s.

Barcelona are a unique club

Barcelona’s unique circumstances are also often ignored, not taking into account the fact Barcelona’s current style was developed over several years, shaping players since they were playing for the youth teams and introducing them slowly to senior football. This way, they are used to playing with each other employing the same style at both youth level and senior level.

That kind of scenario is impossible to reproduce in Brazil unless the exporting of players stop, as the squads change often, not allowing the players to play together long enough and preventing the clubs from establishing a standardized style.

It is often suggested that the Brazilian national FA should try get the clubs to introduce a standardized style all over the country, but that would lead the clubs to have even less independence, which is not desirable given Brazil’s FA historical policy of “divide and rule”, getting the clubs to fight against each other rather than working together to strengthen domestic football.

Final thoughts

The defeat of Santos thus did not prove much since Barcelona were already believed to be the best team in the world and they proved so on the pitch, like they have done numerous times in recent years, having beaten all sort of teams, including teams that tried to attack them, and teams that adopted a defensive approach similar to that of Santos.

It was not Brazilian football that lost the game, but rather Barcelona that won it. Barcelona’s success do deserve to be praised and admired, but Santos’ defeat do not change the fact Brazilian domestic football have been improving in recent years, allowing Santos to feature two of the best Brazilian players.

Opinion: No shame as Santos crash out of Club World Cup

No shame as Santos crash out of Club World Cup

It was a typical masterclass performance from Barcelona as Santos was comprehensively beaten in the Club World Cup final on Sunday.

Even the most ardent of Santos supporters would have found it hard to disagree that the event was over as a contest in just twenty-four minutes – after Barca had already twice carved open the Brazilian defence, with Messi and Xavi getting on the scoresheet.

Prior to the game I strongly felt that the result was by no means a foregone conclusion. Santos were different to the previous well-drilled São Paulo and Internacional that had tasted success in the 2005 and 2006 Club World Cup’s. Santos are equipped with players who can create and punish teams, whether it be dead-ball’s from Elano, Ganso’s intricate passing in and around the penalty area or Neymar’s combined ability to run with the ball and ice-cool finishing. The Yokohama final was the ideal opportunity for Santos to represent the fast-improving Brazilian game and make a global statement against a team that rivals, and if not betters, Pele’s Santos of the sixties.

Cesc Fabregas ‘ third for the Barca on the stroke of half-time would have been uncomfortable for Santos fans as the scoreline threatened to destroy the confidence of their team but O Peixe (The Fish) can return to Brazil with their respect and integrity intact, despite Messi side-footing the Catalans a fourth in the final ten minutes to conclude a one-sided 4-0 victory.

On each of the four goals, Santos had simply been unable to cope with the fluidity, movement and philosophy of the Barca machine, which so expertly guided by its chief-operator, Pep Guardiola had been able to choke the life out of any Santos attempt of a counter.

Santos coach Muricy Ramalho, a seasoned coach with a respectable record in his homeland, was equally in awe.

“Barcelona play in a virtual 3-7-0. In Brazil it would be absurd – the police would be called and the coach would be held!,” he quipped.

“We have the custom in Brazil that the number of forwards is an indication of how attacking a team is, but Barcelona prove that you can play well without a striker to score.”

“[This result] has no impact, Barcelona are the best in the world. We have shown our worth, making three finals in a championship season. Barcelona have faced all kinds of teams and no has shown the power to overcome them.”

Santos immediately return back to Brazil where they begin their state championship campaign in less than a month for the start of their centenary season.

Some Santistas (Santos fans) still believe their team are the best in the world – it’s just that Barcelona are from another planet.

Opinion: Where Do The Under-20′s Go From Here? (Part 2, The Attack)

A couple of weeks ago now, in Part 1 we looked at three of the defensive prospects who featured as part of the Brazil Under-20 World Cup winning side this summer. Now, it is time for three of the more attacking players who featured heavily in the campaign. Lets take a look at Henrique, Casemiro and of course, the star of the final, Oscar.

Henrique - Age 20 (27 May 1991), São Paulo, Striker

Henrique follows the likes of Lionel Messi and Sergio Agüero in finishing the Under-20 World Cup as top-scorer, netting five times over the course of the tournament. At club level however, the story is less of a fairy-tale with the young striker’s 25 appearances for São Paulo to date yielding just three goals (although many of the appearances have been brief forrays from the substitutes bench).

Not as naturally talented as some of his colleagues, Henrique is strong and bullish, packs a good finish and is technically sound. Similar in style and physique to club-mate Dagoberto, Henrique would do well to learn some of the senior man’s intelligent reading of the game. If he can get games and goals under his belt, Henrique has the potential to be a very effective striker at club level. Whether he is good enough to make an impact at international level is open to conjecture, however as of yet, it looks unlikely.

Having been voted (in a move that baffled many) the best player of the Under-20 World Cup, Henrique declared he was looking to terminate his São Paulo due to a lack of playing time. Within two days however, a new five-year deal was in place and the young striker was staying at the Paulista outfit. It remains to be seen whether he can match these early heights later in his career.

Casemiro - Age 19 (15 March 1992), São Paulo, Central Midfield/Centre Back

Casemiro went into the Under-20 World Cup on the crest of a wave, coming off the back of an inspired start to the season at club-side São Paulo. With Lucas, Marlos, Xandão and Henrique, São Paulo have some excellent young talent emerging right throughout the side, but it is in central-midfield, with 20-year old Wellington and 19-year-old Casemiro that São Paulo have hit the jackpot.

Lucas is the undisputed star of the side, but Wellington and Casemiro operate the holding-midfield (volante) roles with a quiet effectiveness. Wellington is the harrier; quick and strong, rushing around to snap at opponents heels. Casemiro is the direct opposite. Tall and strong, Casemiro strolls around the midfield with a cultured passing game and impressive ability to get on the scoresheet, particularly with his head.

An issue for Casemiro however is fitness and at times during the Under-20 World Cup, he looked out of shape in comparison for others. If he could shed a few pounds, Casemiro would instantly become more dynamic in the midfield and able to take his game to the next level.

Despite a mediocre World Cup showing, Casemiro is attracting the attention of many clubs in both Italy and England. At just 19, with the ability to play centre-back and midfield, the São Paulo player’s game is reminiscent of Tom Huddlestone and can expect to better the acheivements of the Tottenham man if he can improve his fitness levels.

Oscar – Age 19 (9 September 1991), Internacional, Attacking Midfield

Oscar emerged from the World Cup as the star of the tournament, having scored a hat-trick in the final as Brazil defeated Portugal to seal the title. Another prospect to have emerged from the prolific São Paulo youth system, Oscar is a slight figure in midfield, seemingly gliding around the pitch and it is this low centre of gravity that separates him from his colleagues.

Having moved to Internacional aged eighteen, Oscar already had a handful of senior appearances to his name. His progression to the Internacional first-team has been slow rather than meteoric and even this season he has not always been a guaranteed starter. However, given his performances for the Under-20 side and fantastic goal-scoring record in the 2011 Brasileirão season, Oscar is now well and truly established at Beira-Rio.

Moves to Europe have been rumoured, but given his limited experience of regular first-team action, it is important that Oscar should remain in Brazil for the time being. The young Americana born player is a distinctive talent who has the potential to go far in the game, but he is also far from the finished product. A good 2011 is no doubt a great sign, but he must build on this showing next year and light up the Brazilian Championship in the manner of certain other players in his age group.

The next year or two may decide whether Oscar can reach the heights of the world game, or is destined to remain a ‘promising youngster’. It is worth noting that both Oscar and Casemiro have been called-up by Mano Menezes for the upcoming friendlies with Argentina, which will feature exclusively home-based players.

Christopher Atkins (@chris_elastico) is Co-Editor of The Elastico. With a team of experienced writers commenting on the beautiful game worldwide, The Elastico is a great place to start your daily football reading. www.theelastico.com

Opinion: Where Do The Under-20′s Go From Here? (Part 1, The Defence)

In Bogota on Saturday night, Brazil Under-20′s clinched the World Cup final, thanks to an Oscar hat-trick, that gave the South Americans a 3-2 victory in Extra-Time over a stubborn Portugal side.

It is the fifth time Brazil have won the world’s premier youth football tournament, and the first since 2003, when a Fernandinho (then 18, now of Shakhtar) goal gave Brazil a 1-0 victory over another Iberian nation, Spain.

That side included current, or recent, Seleção players such as Dani Alves, Adriano, Jefferson, Nilmar and the previously mentioned Fernandinho, as well as a host of players who have gone on to perform well at club level, such as Kléber (Palmeiras), Fernando Henrique (Ceará), tournament top-scorer Dudu Cearense (Atlético Mineiro), Andrezinho (Internacional) and Dagoberto (São Paulo).

But, as always there are those whose careers haven’t taken off as expected, who have maybe flirted with a career in the Far-East, or Eastern Europe and now find themselves struggling for games, or even outside of the top flight. Jardel, a midfielder once of Cruzeiro, anyone?

This year’s group will be no different, for every Dani Alves, there must be an Andrey. So, lets take a look at what the future may hold for some of this latest batch of Brazilian talent.

Starting with, the defence…

Danilo – Age 20 (15 July 1991), Santos FC, Right Back/Central Midfield

Danilo is an undeniable talent and maybe has the most potential out of all the Under-20 squad, despite an indifferent tournament in Colombia. It is this talent which has seen the Libertadores winner called up for Mano Menezes’ next Brazil squad, for the friendly with Ghana on September 6th, as second-choice right-back. However, the problem in the long-run will be in which position Danilo’s future lies.

Originally signed from América (MG) as a right-back, Danilo has spent much of this season performing heroics in midfield for Santos in the absence of Ganso from the side. It was this form that encouraged Porto to sign the young Brazilian for €13 million, with Danilo to join the Portuguese giants following the Club World Cup in Japan. However, as a right-back, Danilo is less assured and is prone to positional errors, which was noticeable during the recent tournament. Yet, despite excelling in midfield, Danilo does possess all the attributes to be a top right-back, if he can sort out this relatively small issue with his reading of the play.

It is hard to tell which position will end up being Danilo’s calling card, yet there is little doubt that he will succeed. Physically strong, with a calm temperament, Danilo’s future role with the Seleção will no doubt be decided by the needs of his club. At the moment, he is a better midfield player, able to use his defensive skills alongside his fine array of passes. But, given the necessary time, experience and coaching, Danilo could be the future of the Brazilian right-back slot for a long while to come.

Gabriel Silva - Age 20 (13 May 1991), Palmeiras, Left Back

Tall, powerful and quick, it is not hard to see why Udinese made an offer for Gabriel Silva this week; only for the young full-back to reject the Italian side to stay in Brazil. Originally supposed to play second fiddle to Alex Sandro, another excellent young attacking full-back, Gabriel Silva made the most of the Santos defender’s injury problems to make a name for himself in the tournament. His attacking nature is in line with typical Brazilian expectations of a full-back and it is interesting that Udinese are currently sniffing around, as in Colombian Pablo Armero, they already have a very similar player on their books.

It remains to be seen how wise it was to turn Udinese down at this early stage in his career. Whereas Alex Sandro is off to Porto to continue his development, Gabriel Silva looks set to remain in Brazil for the time being, which will at least guarantee first-team action. In terms of a future move to Europe, the Palmeiras youngster possesses all the physical attributes to suggest the adaptation would be a mere formality.

The only problem that may hinder the full-back’s progression is if on arrival in Europe, he fails to adapt to the more defensive-minded role expected of a full-back. This is one position where an earlier move can prove beneficial, even if game-time is lessened slightly. The threat of dealing with Champions League wingers would serve the full-back better in the long-term at International level, than the Brazilian Championship, where wingers are practically non-existant.

 

Bruno Uvini – Age 20 (3 June 1991), São Paulo, Centre Back

The solid rock at the heart of the Brazilian defence, the centre-back captain with first team playing experience at São Paulo, there are many ways to describe the player who was heavily linked with Arsenal earlier in the summer. It was certainly a shock when the rumours surfaced, because although a talented centre-back who may go far in the game, Uvini has not shone thus far at senior level and indeed is not a stand-out performer even at Under-20 level.

Solid, yes. Exceptional, no. However, to qualify what may of attracted interest in the youngster, he is physically strong standing at 188cm and weighing in at 81kg, possesses decent technique and played well in the South American Under-20 Championships in Peru at the start of the year. But, when compared with the likes of David Luiz and Thiago Silva, only a couple of years older than Uvini, it is unlikely he will hit those heights.

The first priority for Bruno Uvini is to get somewhere approaching regular football at São Paulo, who currently have Rhodolfo and Xandão operating fairly well in the centre-back positions. It is likely any substantial bid for the player would be considered, however given clubmate Denilson’s experience at Arsenal, it is unlikely that The Emirates will be considered an ideal destination. A move to one of the top Portuguese or German teams would be a decent result for the defender, if not he may join the Brazilian armies in Eastern Europe. However, in the short-term, the player would be well advised to consider a domestic loan move just to get some playing time and gain some all-important experience.

Christopher Atkins (@chris_elastico) is Co-Editor of The Elastico. With a team of experienced writers commenting on the beautiful game worldwide, The Elastico is a great place to start your daily football reading. www.theelastico.com

Opinion: Elano Needs To Return To Basics

Those lucky few who witnessed the nine-goal thriller between Flamengo and Santos last night, were given a mouthwatering display of attacking football that will go down in the annals of time as one of those ‘great matches’. Ronaldinho’s Flamengo, beating the Santos side of the young pretender, Neymar. It was an all action game that displayed the positive side of the domestic Brazilian game in all its glory, however, it was not without a tinge of sadness, in the form of a forlorn Elano.

Elano should have been returning to Santos a hero, having played a key role in this year’s Copa Libertadores triumph, before joining the Seleçao for the Copa America, hopefully to return a winner. However, Elano’s contribution at the Copa America was limited to just a few minutes, in a couple of games, with a whole host of players seemingly above him in the pecking order. Then, come the crucial minutes in La Plata, the chance to make an impact arrived. With penalties approaching, Elano looked set to be Brazil’s talisman from the spot, brought into the action specifically to score from 12 yards. The rest, as they say, is history…

Back in Brazil, first game up for Elano and his Santos teammates was Flamengo. Flamengo however would do little to ease Elano’s woes with a 5-4 victory, made worse by the fact that Santos had been 3-0 up midway through the first-half. With Santos perching perilously near the bottom of the table, having been deprived of a first-team until this point in the campaign, spirits are understandably low, but for Elano defeat was a whole lot worse, given his second missed penalty in the space of two games.

 

Unfortunately for a player of his ability, Elano is a much maligned individual, largely due to the quality of teammates he currently finds himself with. The Brazilian midfielder made his name as part of the Santos side that won the Campeonato Brasileiro in 2004, having played alongside the likes of Robinho, Diego and Alex in what was a ‘golden generation’ for the club. The success brought Elano a move to Europe, as one of the first of a subsequent wave of players to head for the shores of Russia and Ukraine, in an attempt to gain a stepping stone to the Champions League, as well as some easy Petroldollars.

Elano shone at Shakhtar Donetsk, playing a crucial role in the club’s rise to its current elevated status. The Iracemápolis man then impressed greatly at Manchester City (until the formation of a Brazilian clique with Jo and Robinho led to his downfall) and even enjoyed a decent spell at Galatasaray, before his beloved Santos came calling and he returned to Brazil in a blaze of glory. Signed in November 2010, by June of this year he had won the Campeonato Paulista, in which he finished joint top-scorer with 11 goals, but more importantly had been crucial in Santos’ first Copa Libertadores victory since 1963 and the time of the great Pelé.

On Sunday night however, to see Elano following the game it was a completely unrecognisable figure. Dropped from the Brazil squad following the Copa America, disappointed after failure in two crucial penalty attempts and also, as he revealed post-match, dealing with threats and the attempted kidnapping of his father, Elano is understandably feeling the pressure. For all the success he has achieved since his Santos return, there was even a threat to return to Europe if he wasn’t left alone by those targeting him. However, on the pitch, Elano has been causing his own problems.

Seleçao Ambitions: Can Elano still play a crucial role for Brazil?

It may sound stupid to say, but Elano is no Neymar, or Ronaldinho, he is more of a Brazilian Paul Scholes, although that may be overplaying his ability a touch. Elano is the link between attack and defence, the first midfielder to support the attack, but if required, also willing to drop deeper to play a very tactically aware game for his side. This is why many would include Elano in the Brazilian National Team; he can fit many roles and is very aware of the situation in a game. Throughout his career, it has always been this way, with Elano a very down-to-earth, responsible figure.

It is unusual therefore, given his aforementioned set-piece prowess, that Elano should have taken two consecutive penalties that were missed in such an extravagant manner. The first, vs Paraguay, in a high-pressure penalty shoot-out, involved a stuttered run-up and a powered top-corner seeking effort sailing well over the bar. The second, vs Santos, as can be seen above, was a cocky, chipped effort down the middle that was once more so unlike Elano.

The Brazilian league does emphasise flair, that is clear for all to see, but this is not Elano’s game. His reputation as a player and as a set-piece/penalty taker is born out of reliability and consistancy, rather than any reputation for the outrageous. Elano, looking to the months ahead, should remember this as he looks to regain his form with Santos and eventually, his place in the Brazilian team ahead of the 2014 World Cup. An in-form Elano would be an asset to any side…

Opinion: Is Brazil dead?

FourFourTwo front page: "Death of Brazil"

The British football magazine FourFourTwo claims Brazil is dead, but is it?

First, it’s important to make it clear that the front page is sensationalistic and more aggressive than the article itself. So one has to avoid making any conclusions based on that.

These are the main points mentioned on the article and comments about them:

- The football is ugly

This is not an issue as, contrary to popular belief, a beautiful style is not the standard or natural Brazilian style and in fact, at club level most managers and teams prefer a more pragmatic approach. This kind of mentality naturally affects the national team as well. The idea that Brazil should play attacking football is thus a misconception, so it is not a problem with Brazil per se but rather a problem with people having the wrong expectations about Brazil.

As a rule of thumb, getting results has always been the main objective in Brazilian sports, including football, so sportspeople that fail to achieve success become laughing stocks, as Formula 1 driver Barrichello learned the hard way. There is even the saying that the “second place is the first loser”. This kind of mentality justifies a more pragmatic approach, which might look ugly, but is deemed the best way to succeed. In football, the defeat of the 1982 also proved that beautiful football does not necessarily bring success.

So ugly football is a very Brazilian thing, more than beautiful styles which, in any case, are increasingly becoming more associated with Barcelona and Spain than with Brazil.

- World Cup 2014′s in chaos

The organization for the 2014 World Cup has indeed been a disaster so far, as most works are behind schedule and costing more than planned, but this is more a political issue than a footballing one as most of the work is being done by the Brazilian national, state and municipal governments, rather than by the clubs or the national football association.

- They’ve got no stars

It is true that there is a lack of stars, Neymar is perhaps the biggest one nowadays as Kaká and Ronaldinho are declining while Robinho could never reach that kind of status. It is not certain yet if the likes of Ganso and Lucas Moura will reach Neymar’s status, both do have the potential to reach that level though.

The fact that many of the best Brazilian players, like Adriano, Elano and Luís Fabiano, are returning to Brazil before they are 30 years old is not an issue at all though. During most of Brazil’s football history the best players played in Brazil, not in Europe. So the return of several star players to Brazil is essentially just a return to the traditional status quo, rather than a sign of decline.

The article correctly praises the fact that the domestic league is becoming stronger and so players are staying longer in Brazil. This is all true and while the article does not state that, there is no reason to believe this could cause the national team to decline. As the campaigns of England and Italy in the last World Cup showed well, just having a full team of players with vast European experience does not bring success if the players are poor. Likewise, it would be foolish to expect Brazil to become weaker if the players ever stop playing in Europe. The talent of the players as well as having a winning mentality determines success rather than playing or not playing in Europe.

- And their best players are defenders!

Many of the best Brazilian players are indeed defenders but as like regarding the style, the problem is not that Brazil have more talented defenders than attacking players. The problem is actually the fact many people have wrong expectations about Brazil, as they are influenced by the stereotypes and clichés that link beautiful football to Brazil. Those stereotypes are based on the Brazilian teams from Pelé’s era and on the 1982 national team.

But regardless of that, there is nothing embarrassing or wrong about Brazil having better defenders than attacking players, Brazilian football has evolved and adapted over time, and so this change of mentality is a sign of strength, it was crucial for Brazil’s titles in 1994 and 2002. Carlos Alberto also correctly points out on the article that Brazil have always had good defenders, thus it is a mistake to see the current situation as an issue.

- The Class of 2014

This is the first team selected by FourFourTwo: Júlio César; Daniel Alves, David Luiz, Thiago Silva and Marcelo; Lucas Leiva, Ramires, Ganso, Lucas Moura and Neymar; Alexandre Pato.

The bench included Victor, Dedé, Sandro, Jean Carlos Chera and Robinho.

The players that were selected for the 2014 first team make sense even if Marcelo has failed to get many caps due to to injuries and wrong attitude when called up and even if Lucas Moura is still just a promising player and has to develop more to reach a first team level. Robinho will also most likely be a first teamer, probably at the expense of Lucas Moura.

The problems are on the bench, Vasco’s defender Dedé was selected although there is no sign yet if he will have a chance at the national team. He is, however, a fine players and so getting called up would be fair.

They also surprisingly selected Jean Carlos Chera, who could not even make it into Santos’ youth team and so ended up leaving the club, and is now expected to join Genoa. Jean Carlos Chera received a lot of hype his whole life, but he is increasingly being regarded as an overrated young player, no better than the typical Brazilian youth player.

My conclusion:

The article is generally pretty good and interesting, if you leave aside the fact they stereotyped how Brazil should play and if you leave aside that they mentioned the 2014 World Cup organzation, which is bad more for political reasons than due to footballing ones.

FourFourTwo should have paid a bigger attention to Brazil’s club which is arguably far more important than the national team, as the Brazilian national team only play few games every year and rely on the work done by Brazilian clubs who scout and develop the players that eventually represent Brazil in the World Cup and other competitions, while club football does not depend on the national team to survive.

Regarding Brazil itself, the conclusion is that it is not dead as the domestic games proves, but the national team does look a bit decadent, not because the best players are defenders nor because the style is ugly, but because there are almost no players that stand out. Even most of the so praised defensive players are not among the best in the world.

Opinion: How women’s football could be improved in Brazil

Cristiane and Marta are the stars of Brazilian women's football.

Before giving suggestions on how women’s football could be improved in Brazil, I will first explain how dire its situation is in the country.

The first problem is that there is no national league as Brazil’s national football FA (“CBF”) are more worried about the men’s national team than about women’s football. So the only competitions Brazilian clubs can play are a few state leagues and a national cup that only includes a very limited amount of teams. That national cup is also played only in the second semester, so the clubs have no nationwide competition in the first half of the year.

Another issue is that the national team normally only play games just before the big tournaments, such as the Olympics and the World Cup, so the players barely have a chance to know each other, and it makes much harder to get new players into the team, as the manager does not have many opportunities to give them a try.

The lack of big competitions and of national team games leads to the third problem that is the lack of interest from the TV to show the few games that are actually played, as the few recognizable names, such as Marta and Cristiane, need to leave the country to play games. The lack of TV exposure and of big names playing in Brazil also means a lack of sponsorship, which creates a vicious circle, as no money makes it difficult to bring back the stars and increase interest, and without interest it is harder to attract sponsors.

The main step to fix these problems would be the creation of a separate national FA for women’s football, independent from CBF. A women’s FA would be able to attract its own sponsors and to focus on the needs of women’s football without getting distracted. There could be doubts about their capability to bring big sponsors, but what is certain is that whatever sponsors a women’s national FA attracted would actually be invested to help strengthen women’s football.

That hypothetical women’s national FA would also most likely be interested in organizing a national league, and in increasing the importance of the national cup, as well as paying more attention to the women’s national team, all of which are given little attention by CBF.

The big Brazilian football clubs could also be attracted to women’s football if the competitions were better organized and had a nationwide importance. Some clubs, like Flamengo, have already shown an interest in participating in women’s competitions, but refrain from doing so because they realize the current setup means they would be wasting money. That was among the reasons why Flamengo withdraw from the Rio de Janeiro State Championship, allowing their players to join Bangu instead.

Santos have also made big investments in women’s football in recent years, signing stars like Marta and Cristiane and winning the women’s Copa Libertadores twice, but couldn’t keep doing so because the lack of big competitions means it is impossible to keep those players for long. Both Marta and Cristiane eventually returned to the American Women’s Professional Soccer (“WPS”), although the WPS has its own issues.

The huge popularity of Marta could be used as well to bring more investment and attract TV interest, but for that to happen, a solution would need to be found for the problems mentioned above, such as the lack of big competitions.

The problems faced by women’s football in Brazil could be solved, or at least reduced if some of the above measures were taken, helping women’s football achieve a status closer to that of men’s football.

Opinion: Brazilian foreign restrictions too harsh?

Bolatti joined fellow Argentinians Cavenaghi, D'Alessandro and Guiñazu at Internacional.

In Brazil, clubs are only allowed to field 3 foreign players, less than in places like Argentina and Mexico, and less than in Europe. That is why currently only 5% of the players in Brazil’s Série A are foreign, compared to 10% in Argentina and 20% in Mexico, and a number of Brazilian clubs, such as Botafogo, Flamengo and Internacional, already filled their quota of foreign players,.

These restrictions reduce the exposure of Brazilian clubs abroad, since they can’t sign as many players that are recognizable abroad, and reduce their competitiveness, as they are forced to rely on a smaller pool of players. Internacional for example have four Argentine players, all of which could be first teamers, but are forced to leave one of them (usually Cavenaghi) out of the team.

A consequence of the harshness of the current foreign restrictions is that players are starting to acquire Brazilian citizenship in order to open new places for non-Brazilian players at their clubs. The first one to take this step was Internacional’s Uruguayan defender Gonzalo Sorondo while Botafogo’s Argentine striker Germán Herrera is expected to follow suit soon.

If the clubs could field more foreigners, Brazil’s competitiveness in South American tournaments would also increase, as the teams would be able to have more players used to the football and refereeing style common in neighbor countries. They would also be in much better situation to overcome some of the problems found in Brazilian football, like the current lack of good classic number 10s, the absence of good left-backs and the scarcity of quality strikers.

There is a proposal promoted by Inter to change the status of players from fellow Mercosur countries (Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay), making them not count as foreigners. If this is ever implemented, only a handful of players would still be treated as foreigners in the league and the problem would be mostly solved.

Another solution would be simply following what happens in many European leagues and don’t have any foreign restrictions at all, allowing the clubs to decide who they field. That kind of model could help Brazilian clubs attract more players from outside South America, as they would not have to compete with South American players for places in the teams, and so the risk of signing them would also be smaller for the clubs.

In other countries this model is criticized for reducing the amount of places available for local players, hence weakening the national team in the long term, but I believe that would not affect Brazil that way, as there is a big offer of quality cheap players in the domestic market, which doesn’t happen in other countries.

So it’s my understanding that giving more freedom to Brazilian clubs to sign and field more foreign players would bring many benefits to Brazilian football, without necessarily causing harm to the Brazilian national team or to the development of players in the country.