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Posted - Jul 22 2003 : 1:03:34 PM
Courtney
Their problems would sink almost every
Tuesday, July 22, 2003, 9:36:13 AM
IP:66.205.24.4
Other football Country.
Taken from BBc.com
Brazil's export business
By Tim Vickery
Brazil fans have got used to saying goodbye to their star players
What does having 'the best football in the world' really mean?
In the streets of Rio and across the TV screens of Sao Paulo alike, you will repeatedly hear the phrase 'Brazil has the best football in the word.'
The bombastic tone is revealing. Football is an enormously important source of self-esteem in a country with more than its fair share of problems.
But the vagueness of the content is also interesting.
Brazil have an overwhelming case to be the best national team in the world.
The reigning world champions are the only team to boast five World Cup wins.
They also can claim to produce the most outstanding players in the world, both in terms of quality and quantity.
They are currently disputing Concacaf's Gold Cup with an under-23 team and this does not mean that the players are all 22 and a half, some are as young as 18.
Even so, in Saturday's quarter-final they won a comfortable 2-0 victory against a very experienced senior Colombia side.
Brazil were better individually and collectively, dominated the game from start to finish and now face an intriguing semi-final against the United States.
No other country in the world, with the possible exception of Argentina, could field a team that is capable of being not only competitive, but outstanding, against senior opposition.
Brazil produces the stars and the Europeans enjoy the spectacle
It all means that there is plenty to boast about. But having 'the best football in the world' demands something more.
The main contact that real football supporters have with the game is following the fortunes of their club.
If you want to have the best football in the world you need to have an excellent domestic structure.
But a glance at the Brazilian Championship brings a sad shake of the head.
For the first time Brazil has adopted the European system, where the teams play each other home and away, and the one with most points is the champion.
It is a step forward but the way that the championship is organised is nothing less than a leap in the wrong direction.
The problems of a tournament lasting from March to December are obvious, and were predicted in this column before the big kick-off.
International tournaments are held in June and July and as such domestic football comes to a halt except in Brazil, where star players have been away from their clubs first for the Confederations Cup, and now for the Gold Cup.
At the very moment when the championship should be gaining momentum, the interest level drops because the main attractions are off on international duty or they are being sold to Europe.
Ronaldinho is the latest Brazilian to cause a stir in the transfer market
In their hordes European clubs come across the Atlantic looking for bargains.
In the past few days the Brazilian Championship has lost players to France, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Turkey, Holland and South Korea, and more will surely follow.
Teams are being torn apart right in the middle of the championship - it is no wonder that crowds are falling.
Without harmonization with the global calendar, it has no chance of 'having the best football in the world.'
Such disastrous organisation can only have one result - Brazil produces the stars and the Europeans enjoy the spectacle.
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