Rollercoaster ride

The 2023 Brazilian national championship promises drama both on and off the pitch

- Tim Vickery

Domestic Brazilian football is – and for the foreseeable future will continue to be – an export industry, its most promising youngsters syphoned off by European giants. But that does not condemn the Brazilian club game to perennial weakness. It still leaves plenty of talent at home, augmented by the addition of three types of player: veterans with successful European spells who are looking to round off their careers with a move back home, those in their mid-20s who have gone to Europe and, for whatever reason, not lived up to expectations, and those brought in from other South American countries.

There has been an increase in all three categories, as Brazil scouts the continent better than ever and as an influx of money makes the Brazilian clubs richer. The last three finals of the Copa Libertadores have been all-Brazilian affairs, and the gap that has opened up between Brazil and the rest of the continent is only going to grow. Brazilian clubs have become savvier, learning how to monetise their huge fan bases. There is more money flying around, especially as a result of developments in the gambling industry. And there is also a changing business structure in Brazil, with clubs now able to open their capital and have owners. This process, largely based on the Iberian model, is running into teething troubles. It entails a restructuring of debts, and it is unclear what should happen to creditors who decline to accept the terms on offer when the clubs are transformed into businesses (known as SAFs). Despite the legal uncertainties, foreign investors are being attracted, and more are likely to come.

It would seem to be only a matter of time before Brazil's clubs form their own league