Archive for June 9th, 2009

Brasil is mad as a hornet these days. Brasil is down right pissed at EPL club Manchester United for luring promising players to England. The latest in the succession of teenage players to leave Brasil for the lure of futebol glory is Dodo. Dodo plays for Corinthians. He is expected to leave for Manchester United this summer.

Former Brasilian futebol star Carlos Alberto says that Manchester United is raping Brasil of its best young futebol players.

Yet, Dodo has not appeared in a single in match for Corinthians.

Dodo is a highly rated central defender.

Do I see a problem? No. Why?

Lets examine the facts. Life in Brasil is very hard.

Most promising futebol players live in a Favela (Ghetto). Their families are barely getting by. I have been to and seen Favelas and they are nothing like ghettos in America. They are run by traficants (drug dealers). Most of the families have barely enough to eat.

Poor families in America have color TV’s, cars to drive, running water, refrigerators, food stamps, and electricity. 

Many of the Favelas have none of these things we have in America.

The traficants take care of these in families. The traficants provide families in the Favelas with these things.

So if a young man can sign for a large sum of money he will be able to take care of his family and get out of the Favela.

I understand what Carlos Alberto is saying but he is dead wrong.

These young men are many times the meal ticket for the family.

If the young player stays in Brasil, he will be in great danger.

Many times futebol stars family members are targets of folks who will kidnap family members and black mail them.

Many times these schemes end in the death of a family member.

If you want to see, what life is like in a Favela see the movie Cidade de Deus (City of God)

I have been there and it is true.

You can hear gunshots at night as the police and traficants battle it out. 

Many times rival traficants will battle it out too.

When these battles take place large sections of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo are shut completely down.

One last point. Manchester United is not the only club  who does this.  Arsenal, FC Porto, Barcelona, and many other European clubs do the same thing.

When you get a chance checkout these sites, they are great.

www.palau.org

http://www2.hillsong.com/tv/home.asp