By Samindra Kunti
March 30 – Arsenal legend Gilberto Silva and the player movement Bom Senso are seeking a modernisation of the Brazilian domestic game, but Silva says much remains to be done for Brazilian football to remerge as a powerhouse.
Brazil and football have always been synonymous. Brazil stands for the beautiful game yet today the grandeur has faded from the Brazilian game.
An institutional crisis has left Brazil ponderous: the Brazilian FA, the CBF, is fragile, the national team is stagnant, the clubs are mired in debts, 85% of the players earn little more than the minimum wage, the calendar is out-of-sync with the rest of the world and attendances at stadiums are low.
Brazilian football is becoming a protracted tragicomedy. The Seleção always ensured a happy ending, but an unforgiving 7-1 defeat by Germany at the last World Cup demonstrated Brazil’s modern brittleness.
“[It was] a disaster, a big disaster!,” former Arsenal player Gilberto Silva told Insideworldfootball. “What can you say when you lose 7-1? There is simply not much to say. It is a shame that you carry with you for the rest of your life. The players were not relying on Neymar [he was not playing]. It was a big disaster.”
“For Brazil to produce good players, and we will, we need to keep working,” continued Silva. “You have to forget about Zico and Falcao. Maybe Brazil won’t produce those kind of players anymore. You can’t produce Maradona, Cruyff or Baggio anymore.”
Gilberto Silva won the 2002 World Cup with Brazil. Luiz Felipe Scolari’s team were underdogs in the Far East, but emerged as victors defeating Germany 2-0 in the final. Arsenal subsequently acquired the services of the Brazilian midfield stalwart and Silva became an integral part of Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’.
In 2013 Gilberto Silva joined the player-run movement Bom Senso FC [Common Sense FC]. Bom Senso, which also has the support of Dida, Juninho, Clarence Seedorf, Cris, Alex Souza and Paulo André, is trying mobilise the Brazilian public to push for reforms in Brazilian football and vociferously campaigns for improved conditions for players and clubs in Brazilian football as well as the introduction of Financial Fair Play, a refinancing of the clubs’ €0.95 billion debt with government.
“Brazilian football needs to be more organised,” said Silva. “The CBF, the state federations, the clubs and the players – everyone needs to work together. If you don’t work together, everyone will look after themselves. It’s a big challenge to work together and get a good result. The CBF are struggling to unite everyone and to do things better.”
The Brazilian realises that the FIFA scandal and the ongoing investigations into the CBF have tarnished football’s reputation. Senator Romario’s parliamentary commission is pushing hard for the CBF to clean up its act. Silva suggests a deterrent to halt corruption in the game.
“Brazil is a big country, that makes it’s difficult to organise,” analysed the 39-year-old. “It’s a massive country with big problems and in football we have the same problems as in society. There is corruption also at FIFA and it’s shameful. For me, it is simple and only one thing needs to be done: those people must be punished. They must be punished for what they have done in football. That’s the way to start changing things – as soon as you punish corrupt officials, other people will become scared.”
CBF and football administrators have desperately attempted to sideline Bom Senso to protect their power and privileges, but the progressive movement has expressed an interest in entering the political arena, notwithstanding all the adversity. Bom Senso reached out and is contemplating to join the CBF’s reform committee.
“I want things to be organised in football, like I want things to be organized in my life as well,” said Silva. “Brazilian football deserves this, because of its history. It’s a shame for all us when you see the corruption, when you the result against Germany, when you what happens at CBF. The CBF takes so long to change things. I joined Bom Senso, because I believe we can change the game if we work together.”
Silva and Bom Senso represent but a fraction of Brazil’s football population and players. Few have stood up and spoken out against the CBF, or FIFA for that matter. The Arsenal legend would be greatly pleased if a player of the magnitude of Neymar or Thiago Silva would back Bom Senso.
“Listen, that would be my dream!” exclaimed Silva. “Not only them, but that Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Roberto Carlos and others would work together to help Brazilian football. That would be a dream, especially the active players – Neymar, Thiago Silva and David Luiz. That would be for the benefit of our football.”
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