By Samindra Kunti
March 20 – Jose Maria Marin, the president of the Brazilian FA, has said that “Brazilian football is going to pass through a very difficult time.”
Marin assumed office in March 2012, succeeding the discredited Ricardo Teixeira, who resigned citing health reasons. In the early 80s Marin had been the governor of Sao Paulo.
Under Marin Brazil’s training complex in Terespolis, a mountainous city 50 miles north of Rio de Janeiro, was revamped. The CBF invested more than €6 million during the 10-month renovation of Granja Comary, which now includes a barber shop and a pharmacy for the convenience of the players. In addition, FIFA donated €900,000 to the project.
But, on Marin’s watch, Brazil also suffered the ignominy of a 7-1 defeat against Germany on home soil during the World Cup.
“I still have not recovered [from the defeat],” admitted Marin, speaking to Brazilian newspaper Estado de Sao Paulo. “We lost the World Cup against Colombia. When we scored the 2-0, with a set piece from David Luiz, the first thing should have been to sub Thiago Silva and Neymar, who were booked. We did not only lose our principal player due to injury, but also the psychological aspect.”
“The World Cup qualifiers will be very difficult,” continued Marin. “It will be one of the most difficult periods for Brazilian football. The other teams have evolved greatly. There are no more easy teams in South America.
“I think the great hope of Brazilian football is youth development,” said Marin. “Clubs and directors should be much more preoccupied with the youth ranks rather than with big investments in players of debatable quality.”
In 2016 a new generation of Brazilian players will have the chance to win Olympic gold in Rio de Janeiro, but so far organisational concerns have overshadowed preparations on the pitch.
“There was a concern in terms of distance,” said Marin about Manaus as a venue for the Olympic football tournament. “Great doubts surfaced, but Marco Polo Del Nero and I see the Amazon as a proper reference of the country, apart from having been a host city during the World Cup. In other Olympics there have also been big distances, for example in the USA.”
In April Marin’s term comes to an end. Marco Polo Del Nero, who sits on both CONMEBOL’s and FIFA’s Executive Committee, will succeed him.
Marin’s time at the helm of Brazilian football has not been without controversies. In 2012 TV channel Rede Bandeirantes filmed the then CBF vice-president surreptitiously pocketing a medal at a youth tournament. The following year Ivo Herzog, son of a murdered Brazilian journalist Vladimir Herzog, petitioned for Marin’s removal from his position at the CBF for alleged ties with the military dictatorship in the 70s.
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