End of the Road

After nearly two months of beach soccer, intense local games, carnival football and some insane local characters, its finally time for Doug and I to part ways and for Brazil Uncovered to come to an end. I intend to head off North in search of adventure on the Mighty Amazon, while Doug begins the long journey back down to Rio via the Pantanal and Southern states before his flight home.

From futvolley to futsal, from palm tree pitches to politics, football permeates every aspect of life in Brazil. And it is precisely that total coverage and infectious enthusiasm for the game that has overwhelmed and re-awakened us. Playing, watching and thinking about football is everything here. Its more than just a game, its a way of life.

Everytime you turn on the TV, everytime you turn a street corner, someone has something to say about football, and some are quite literally crazy about it! Meeting Fabinho the ball-juggler, Bernard, the Vasco hooligan, Mauro Shampoo and discovering our own friend Daniel´s Presidential ambitions were all highlights of our trip.

As for the games we went to see, the atmosphere was like nothing we´d ever witnessed before and left us pretty much in shock. The enthusiasm and passion which the fans maintain throughout the entire match is incredible and keeps you buzzing for the whole day, not just during the goals. The daredevil fans of Campinense Clube, the carnival game at Morumbi, and especially getting to see Romario play at Vasco were all fantastic experiences.

But if there was one thing in Brazil that really re-ignited our passion for football, it was actually playing the game here. Just walking down any street or beach in Brazil with a ball under your arm is enough to get you involved in a quick kickabout. Everyone wants to play from kiosk vendors to five-year old kids. Whether they speak English or not, football is itself an international language that brought us together with all kinds of people. All the games we played were special, but one in particular, a lazy kickabout on a golden beach in Maceio while a spectacular pink and red sunset lit the sky, will live long in the memory.

Thanks to all those that have been following our blog. We hope you enjoyed reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it.

Now we just have to get some tickets to the World Cup!

Cheers,

Dan and Doug

Ps. For anyone interested in reading an alternative Brazil blog, you can follow my semi-fictional adventures down the Amazon by clicking here. Cheers, Dan.

Campinense Conversion

Despite the magnificence of Romario at Vasco, the success of Corinthians and the overwhelming support for Flamengo, none of these clubs have managed to kick my beloved Aston Villa out of bed. Indeed, with their recent run of form, it is almost as if they have been calling me back home to England to renew my love. How could I ever have doubted them?

However, while Villa will always be my first club, I stated that one of my objectives for this trip was to find myself a Brazilian club to support. And in Campinense Clube, I think I have found my team...

The most successful club in Campina Grande, Campinense have won the Paraiba State Championship an unbeaten 17 times, including a record straight 6 wins which they display proudly in the six gold stars on their shirt.

Since they only qualify for the National Leagues following years they finish in the top two of the State League, they are almost unknown in the rest of Brazil. However, their greatest moment came in 1972 when they finished Runners-Up in the Second Division. This is recognised with a silver star on the shirt. Unfortunately, they weren´t promoted to the top flight.

However, my real reason for supporting Campinense is not past glories, but the supporters; they are amongst the best I have met anywhere in Brazil. Regular readers will already know of their dare-devil efforts to erect the club flag at their new ground. Since it was put up, it has become a social venue with taxi drivers, children and local fans hanging around it at all times of day. The support for the local team here is nothing short of true passion.

After last year´s disappointing 4th place finish in the State League, Campinense had to build an entirely new team which they recently unveiled at their training ground. Despite the extortionate 5 real entry fee, the event amazingly attracted 5000 supporters!

The new team has already won its first three friendlies, all against superior opposition, and
with the new stadium on the way too, the season can´t come fast enough. This is a club built not on money or superstars but purely out of love for the beautiful game, which is exactly what we came to Brazil to find. Vamo Campinense!

Nb. To find out results of Campinense Clube´s games in this year´s Paraiba state league, click here.

Why do the Brazilians love football so much?

Sitting down to reflect on our trip we tried to decide why it is that the Brazilians love football so much.

Most will agree that Brazil has the best players and the best team in the World, winning the World Cup more times than any other nation and currently having more representatives in the Champions League than any other nation. Thus, football has inevitably become a source of national pride and joy, something to give Brazil a conspicuous place in the World.

Of course, it is not enough to say that they love it because they are the best at it, so we were then faced with the question of why they are the best.

Firstly football is a game that is open to everyone regardless of age, race, wealth or social standing. Thus, as a game of the people, everyone has the opportunity to play and everyone can have the dream of making it as a professional player. For some, the simple chance to make money and escape poverty is probably incentive enough. For others, its a sport that can be enjoyed whenever and wherever.

Technically, the Brazilians are also considered the best in the World. We came up with a few ideas as to why this was: the of hours of beach soccer, futsal and futvolley, honing their skills in difficult conditions, their love for dance, samba and capoeira, giving them natural rhythm and flow to their game, and even the simple fact of their confident, happy natures enabling them to play with such gusto and freedom.

Yet despite all our rationalising as to why the Brazilians are so passionate about football, there is something more than that too, something unexplainable that gives them a special love for the game that you don´t find on the same scale anywhere else in the World...maybe its just in their blood.

New Season: New Team?

A perfect Summer afternoon saw Campinense play their first friendly of the season against Division Two team, Picui. With their new stadium still unfinshed (apart from the flag!), they played at the Governor-owned Ernani Sátiro "O Amigão" stadium shared with local rivals Treze.

As the players ran out onto the pitch holding hands in the traditional Brazilian manner of unity, I asked my friend Daniel to point out his favourite players for me.

"I don´t know yet, this is the first time I´ve seen them play," he replied.

I was confused, I thought this was his beloved club. Surely he knew every players name, weight and Mother´s maiden name?

However, he explained that since they did so badly in last season´s State Championship, they had failed to qualify for the National Third Division (only the top two clubs do so). As a result, they hadn´t played a competitive match since last June and all their players had left for other clubs. This was a completely new team from back to front!

The game itself was played at a fairly leisurely pace, but despite this, plenty of goals flew in. Campinense fought back twice to equalise at 2-2 before scoring a penalty winner for a 3-2 victory.

Daniel wasn´t so impressed with the win over superior opposition. "They played badly, and the new striker is stupid," was his cutting post-match analysis.

I wasn´t quite so downbeat. After all, when I thought about the biting cold and snow back home, a lazy day watching lower division football in the sun was practically heaven.

Futsal

On the day that Ronaldinho was crowned Fifa World Player of the Year, it seemed fitting that we should play the game which helped him to hone his immense talents: futsal.

The game is played between teams of 5 on a brightly-lit, indoor pitch. By using a smaller, heavier football, the skill level is increased ten-fold, with players able to pull off all manner of mind-boggling tricks and skills. Games are won by being the first team to score 2 goals, and last no more than 10 minutes each ...and at the speed they play, its just as well!


Doug and I both struggled initially with the pace and skill of the game as it raced on around us.
However, despite a few falls and nutmegs early on, we both managed to adjust quickly to the game. The heavy ball certainly helps dribbling since it practically sticks to your feet most of the time, but getting in the way of a shot is a lot more painful!

After an hour and a half of racing about, we were both thoroughly knackered. Still, we had managed some glory: Doug had fired in the winner for his team in one match, and a couple of goals from me had helped my team to go on an unbeaten streak of 3 straight games at the end. Even the huge blisters we both suffered couldn´t take the edge off that.

Campinense´s Grand Unfurling

This afternoon saw the symbolic opening of Campinense Clube´s first ever stadium; the unfurling of the team flag.



Although the stadium is still only half built, a large crowd had still gathered outside to watch in awe as two fearless (some would say crazy) builders attempted to fix the 2 meter flag to its pole on the shabbiest scaffolding ever constructed. Only one guy was wearing a safety harness and neither of them had a hard hat on. Indeed, they were both dressed casually in shorts and flipflops.

They struggled with it for about an hour as the scaffolding swayed ominously in the wind, all of us expecting one of them to fall off before the flag was unfurled. Eventually though, as they pulled apart the scaffolding they were standing on, the red and black flag swept out into the dusk sky to the proud cheers of the crowd below. Brazilian fans: always prepared to risk death in support of their team.

Best League in the World?

Sao Paulo´s victory in the World Club Championship this morning kicked off a small debate amongst us as to which League is the best in the World. The obvious candidates are the Spanish, Italian and English leagues, but with Sao Paulo as World Club Champions, should the Brazilian League be included in the debate too?
Admittedly, the European teams have all the best Brazilian players. Yet some of the football we had seen over the last few months had contained just as much skill and passion as any of the major European leagues and now they had proved themselves as World Club Champions.

Doug argued that the World Club Championship isn´t taken seriously in Europe, but while this may be true, it probably isn´t fair. It´s certainly taken seriously in Brazil as a chance to prove that their teams are every bit as good as the better promoted and better paid teams of Europe.

Perhaps another reason that South American leagues in general aren´t taken as seriously by Europeans is down to the rumours of corruption and scandal that inevitably devalue the teams. Still, with any luck, Brazilian teams are putting this behind them and futher, having now adopted the European League system (with the team with the most points winning the Championship) I think that European clubs should be giving a lot more respect to their South American counterparts and to the result of the World Club Championship.

The Brazilian League might not be the best in the World right now, but with continued sponsorship, the right media coverage and a shift in opinion, there´s no reason why it couldn´t challenge for the title in the future; it certainly has the potential.

The Everest Scandal

This morning we travelled inland to Campina Grande to stay with Daniel, a Brazilian friend of mine whom I met working in England.

As soon as we arrived he whisked us off to his football team´s annual end-of-year Churrasco (BBQ), where not only were his team-mates enjoying themselves, but an entire community. Everyone from babies to Grandparents were gathered around a long, out-door table, knocking-back beers, eating piles of meat and shouting excitedly at each other. In comparison to the subdued and formal football evenings that usually happen in England, this was a lively, fun, family event.

The afternoon kicked off with a video of their annual friendly (although the tackles were anything but!) between rival fans of the two local teams in Campina, Treze and Campinense. This proved exciting as watching the actual game itself as the players leapt out of their seats to celebrate goals or argue fouls, running to the TV to organise action replays. I was pleased to see that my friend Daniel´s goal got the biggest celebration of all.

As is tradition for all end of year parties, next was the award ceremony. Daniel won a medal as second top-scorer and when he collected it made a short, rousing speech which had everyone chanting for him. I learned that due to his height, he had earned the nickname ´Everest´. I hadn´t realised he was such a good public speaker either.

It became clear next, however, that Daniel was campaigning for votes, as the next event of the afternoon was to decide the next Vice-President of the team. Daniel had even made up hilarious flyers displaying himself in regal pose alongside the slogan "The tall man for Vice-President!". His opponent, Ricardo, a weasly fellow in pink had barely said a word all afternoon, despite hanging around near the microphone. I had no doubt who would win.

However, when the votes came to be counted, ´Everest´ only got 12, to Ricardo´s 18. Daniel was outraged and stepped up to the microphone shouting "I can´t believe 18 of you could be so stupid!". It was all done in good humour though, since the Vice-President doesn´t actually do anything at the club, meaning the vote was more of a popularity contest than anything.

Still, as the forro band began to play, I questioned Daniel as to why he´d lost when everyone so clearly seemed to love him.

"Oh, the other guy paid people 10 reais each to vote for him," he told me.

He didn´t seem too bothered by this, as though a bit of corruption was perfectly normal. I guess if it goes on at the top level of football and politics in Brazil, as it did for many years, its inevitable that it will filter down.