The Brazilian Football League vs. Brazil National Football Team
Brazil has always been known as one of the world’s best football teams. Football has been in the country’s blood for the last hundred years, and with Brazil hosting the World Cup in 4 years time, the scene will be set for a huge celebration. But what about the country’s domestic league: just how good is it and does it stack up to the big leagues of Europe? Interestingly, varying opinions can be found about the league. Some people say that the Brazilian league is an amazing contest and is full of very talented players, while others say that it does not even compare to the finesse and quality of play that one finds in European leagues.
The Brazilian Football League, or the Campeonato Brasiliense as it is known in the country, started in 1914. The league system in the country has had a sporadic development throughout the years, and a national championship was held for the first time in 1971. Before that they only had state championships. The league had a very confusing format when it started, and it was given the regular league shape, that most people who follow football understand, much later on. Unlike the country’s national team, which has delivered fantastic performances and has world renowned stars playing on it, the league system is not very well known outside of Brazil and only a few international players are playing there. In some regards, it is similar to the MLS in America.
The problem for the Brazilian league system is that people are always comparing it to Europe and what happens to Brazilian players when they join clubs in Europe. In Brazil, young players who show even the slightest hint of talent are instantly said to be amazing and are praised to the high heavens. A factor of the league is that referees do not allow even the slightest foul to take place and players are penalised heavily for fouling. However, in Europe the game that is played is very different than in Brazil. The game is faster paced, has a huge number of extremely talented players in it and referees allow a lot of fouls to be played on. What happens to young Brazilian players when they go to European leagues is that they face a sort of football culture shock. The game is completely different to the one they are used to and a lot of them flounder and fail.
There are currently 450 clubs that are registered in the Brazilian league. This number is so high because of the prominence of football in the country. This is an interesting fact, because if we compare the European leagues to the Brazilian league, there is really no comparison. The Brazilian league pales in comparison, but maybe that is a good thing. It is because the league system is poor that much more prominence is placed on the national team, and the performance of the national team speaks for itself. On the other hand though, Germany’s team this year was so strong, if only a little inexperienced, because of the fact that the country’s football federation has spent a huge amount of money on its league system and its academies. Maybe Brazil should try the same tactic to avoid the embarrassing exit they faced this year at the FIFA World Cup (losing 1-2 to Netherlands).
It seems the Brazilian Football Federation is trying to take steps to stop its talented next generation of footballers from being swept up by Europe too early. They have placed a minimum age requirement on players being recruited by European clubs, and no player is allowed to go to a club before the age of 18. They also put an age restriction of 16 when a player can sign a professional contract.
Maybe the day will come when the Brazilian football league is as popular as its European counterparts; until then though, we will have to contend ourselves with an amazing display of skill and artistry from the Brazilian national team.
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