2023-08-03 18:33:00
Of the many reasons for Brazil’s elimination from the Women’s World Cup, none is as simple as understanding that the team played poorly. Simple as that. But why did Jamaica go 90 minutes without threatening, after playing well against Panama and conceding France’s second goal when they were closer to winning than losing? There are technical components, against the French, and emotional, against the Jamaicans.
It had been 28 years since Brazil had reached the group stage –since 1995. When they had their best campaign, in 2007, they drew with France –whom they never beat–, but Marta and Cristiane were in the first World Cup of the sport. The French, no. It was later in Brazil than in Europe when it was understood that it was necessary to invest and spread the taste for the practice of discipline to girls raised to play house.
Forcing the big clubs to have a women’s category accelerated the diffusion, as fans of Lyon, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, Atlético de Madrid, Bayern, Wolfsburg and Chelsea began to admire athletes such as the Norwegian Hegerberg, the Brazilian Formiga, the Alexia Putellas from Spain, Popp from Germany, Sam Kerr from Australia… “When I started playing I had no references,” Marta said two days ago. What does this have to do with playing poorly against Jamaica or conceding a goal for France with seven minutes remaining in the derby? All. For the first time, a generation of Brazilian players traveled to a World Cup knowing that much of the country was watching, cheering, admiring and expecting them. On one hand, this gave me deep joy and anxiety about being in Australia. On the other hand, their nerves were on edge as they felt part of the life of a country of 203 million inhabitants, of whom more than 100 million derive ephemeral happiness from football. weighed
The CBF must reflect on why the greatest hope of being the new talent among South American women was born in Colombia and not in Brazil, the case of Linda Caicedo, the first case of an athlete, male or female, to compete in three World Cups in two years consecutive in different categories. Linda played for her national team at the 2022 Under-17 and Under-20 World Cups and scored for Germany as an adult.
We must maintain the experience of Iranduba, which brought women’s football to the Amazon, where men’s football does not reach a high level, but continue to popularize it with the large jerseys of Corinthians, Flamengo, Palmeiras, São Paulo, Santos, Grêmio, Internacional and more… You have to admit the stage in which this old football country finds itself, with only one men’s and one women’s semifinal after winning the penta in 2002. A gigantic country, which loves and practices football in 8.5 million square kilometres, cannot continue in this situation. You have to work to transform it.
The defeat does not mean that Brazil has a generation without talent, nor of defeats, but it does indicate the need to disseminate more, expand knowledge, draw future champions from the number of players, some of which may have failed in Australia. Continue trying to understand the path to return to being the country of football and, this time, for men and women, girls and boys. Brazil lost because it did not perform well enough technically, tactically and mentally for a generation that realized how important it was suddenly. The worst campaign in 28 years shows that success is still far away. As contradictory as it sounds, much closer than three decades ago.
Translated by AZAHARA MARTIN ORTEGA
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