Brazil humbling prompts calls for reform of domestic game

SAO PAULO, (Reuters) – Brazil’s embarrassing 7-1 defeat by Germany in the World Cup semi-final has prompted much soul searching in the host nation and calls are mounting for wholesale changes in Brazil’s notoriously chaotic domestic game.

The South American nation is known for the conveyor belt of talented players it produces but organisation is light years behind Europe, crowds at local games are low, and even the top clubs mired in debt.

Amidst the post-game criticism of Brazil’s players and coaches, some pundits said the hosts must use the devastating loss to overhaul the national game, much like Germany did when they lost the World Cup final to Brazil 12 years ago.

“This defeat is the biggest chance we’ve ever had to modernise and professionalise the running of Brazilian football,” Fernando Ferreira, owner of Pluri, a sports consultancy, tweeted after the game.

“We can’t look for explanations on the field. They began years ago and it is the result of shocking management and administration.”

The Brazilian league is the seventh-highest earning in the world and the biggest outside Europe, said Amir Somoggi, an independent analyst who has worked with several of Brazil’s top clubs.

Yet top sides like Corinthians and Flamengo, each of whom boast they have more than 30 million ‘fans’, are hundreds of millions of dollars in debt.

Brazil’s top 20 clubs have collective debts of 5.1 billion reais ($2.31 billion), Somoggi said.

This year alone, first division clubs Atletico Paranaense, Botafogo, Flamengo, Portuguesa and last year’s Libertadores Cup winners Atletico Mineiro were among those who did not pay their players’ wages on time.