Destination Brazil: Why European teams might struggle at the World Cup this summer

The wait is almost over. After weeks, months and years of fevered expectation, controversy and administrative mis-steps, the World Cup kicks off in four months.

Soon, thoughts will turn away from Brazil's preparations – if only briefly – and towards the football itself, with squad announcements due soon. In my latest article for Betting Expert, I have picked out five reasons to think European sides might struggle in the tournament.

Click here to read it.

Punch-drunk thugs: Violence explodes in Joinville as Brasileirão season ends in ignominy

The players just stood there, mouths open, utterly aghast. For a few slow-motion seconds, then a few more, until minutes were passing. Nobody could quite believe what they were seeing. Tears streamed down the cheeks of defender Luiz Alberto.

Emotions were always likely to be high at the Arena Joinville, where Vasco da Gama – one of Brazil’s traditional heavyweights – were making one last stop on their way to the second flight. They needed a miracle to survive. They didn’t get it.

Yet Luiz Alberto is not a Vasco player and the relegation, when it came, was destined only to be a footnote to the events of the afternoon. The real story took place in the stands, where scenes of mindless, surreal violence cast the blackest of clouds over the final weekend of the Campeonato Brasileiro season.

Read the rest of this article at Yahoo! Eurosport.

São Paulo stadium tragedy not just a football problem, but adds to unease in Brazil over World Cup

Tragedy struck on Wednesday at the construction site of the stadium scheduled to host the opening game of World Cup 2014. The Arena de São Paulo was finally nearing completion when the soil beneath South America’s tallest crane gave way, causing a sizeable metallic truss to tumble into the corner of the east stand.

The structural damage was not as serious as it appeared, experts later claimed. But a human cost had been levied: Fábio Luiz Pereira, 42, and Ronaldo Oliveira dos Santos, 44, were confirmed dead at the scene.

The incident adds to a growing sense of unease ahead of next summer’s tournament. While this football-obsessed country will embrace on-field events wholeheartedly come June, many Brazilians fear the real opportunity of the World Cup has already been squandered. Read the rest of this article over at Yahoo! Eurosport.

It started with a kiss: extreme reaction to Emerson photo exposes homophobia in Brazilian game

Emerson Sheik never thought it would come to this. A photo posted on Instagram of an innocent kiss with a friend provoked extreme reactions from a group of Corinthians fans, who made banners vilifying him. The problem? The kiss was with a man.

In my debut for Yahoo! Eurosport, I take a look at the reaction to the picture within the context of the widespread homophobia in Brazilian football. You can read it here.

Why Paulinho could be the signing of the season for Spurs

Sometimes the path to the top is long and circuitous. Just ask Paulinho. The 24-year-old midfielder, who today sealed a £17million move to Tottenham Hotspur, has taken his fair share of missteps.

At the age of 17 and with precious little first-team experience, he left his native Brazil to play for FC Vilnius in Lithuania, hoping to use the move as a stepping-stone to a career in one of Europe's bigger leagues. But things didn't work out as expected, with Paulinho the target of abuse both on and off the pitch. "We'd be going to the town centre and people would just come over and make racist comments," he told Globo earlier this year. "Then they'd start making monkey noises. It was so sad."

Read the rest of this profile of Paulinho on the Unibet blog. 

(Image: Getty)

"You host a World Cup with stadiums, not hospitals"

It reads like a quote from one of the legion of old men who run football, both in Brazil and globally.

Conceivably it could have been uttered by Sepp Blatter minutes before he hopped aboard a flight to Turkey (oh, the irony) midway through the Confederations Cup, apparently disgusted that the Brazilian people had had the temerity to protest social ills during a FIFA event.

It could have been the cadaverous Jose Maria Marin, clown prince of Brazil's football association. Such a statement would hardly have been out of place on his rap sheet of previous crimes, the undoubted centerpiece of which was his support for Brazil's military dictatorship in the 1970s.

But the words were uttered by someone who, until recently at least, had a rather higher approval rating among football fans in Brazil. They came from the mouth of Ronaldo Fenômeno.

Read the rest of this article, on Ronaldo, Romário, Brazil's World Cup spending and the perils of entering football's political underworld, over at ESPN FC. 

(Image: Getty)

Seleção stars voice support for Brazil protests

With the world's gaze fixed on the protests sweeping through Brazil, you'd be forgiven for expecting the country's footballers to have been cajoled into PR-friendly silence by a crack squad of agents, publicists and party whips (OK, that last one may be pushing it). But the stars of the Seleção have bucked expectations this week, throwing their support behind the 'Change Brazil' movement.

I wrote a quick piece for The Mirror detailing the reactions of the Brazil squad around their 2-0 win against Mexico on Wednesday. Read it here.

(Photo credit: Getty.)

Brazilian football stats and previews

Those who follow Brazilian football will be pleased to know that statistics site WhoScored has now introduced in-depth coverage of the Campeonato Brasileiro. The Série A section of their page features form guides, a weekly best XI and more facts and figures than you could shake a stick at.

There will also be short previews of every match this season, as well as weekly articles focusing on specific players, teams and matches, all written by yours truly. Enjoy!

Scolari announces Brazil squad for Confederations Cup

Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has unveiled his squad for the Confederations Cup, which begins on 15 June. The headline news is that, contrary to expectations, neither Kaká nor Ronaldinho Gaúcho has made the cut. There is, however, a surprise call-up for young Atlético Mineiro forward Bernard.

The full squad is as follows:

Júlio César (QPR)
Diego Cavalieri (Fluminense)
Jefferson (Botafogo)

David Luiz (Chelsea)
Thiago Silva (PSG)
Réver (Atlético Mineiro)
Dante (Bayern Munich)
Marcelo (Real Madrid)
Filipe Luís (Atlético Madrid)
Daniel Alves (Barcelona)
Jean (Fluminense)

Paulinho (Corinthians)
Fernando (Grêmio)
Luiz Gustavo (Bayern Munich)
Oscar (Chelsea)
Hernanes (Lazio)
Jádson (São Paulo)

Bernard (Atlético Mineiro)
Lucas (PSG)
Hulk (Zenit St Petersburg)
Leandro Damião (Internacional)
Fred (Fluminense)
Neymar (Santos)

Former Liverpool player Diego Cavalieri joins Júlio César and Jefferson among the goalkeepers, seeing off competition from Diego Alves and Victor. There are few surprises in defence, although the selection of Jean (who has played most of the season in midfield for Fluminense) may raise the odd eyebrow. Dedé, who has yet to play for Cruzeiro since his protracted transfer from Vasco da Gama, finds himself frozen out for now.

In midfield, Ramires and Lucas Leiva miss out, as does Corinthians guard dog Ralf. The inclusion of Leandro Damião is somewhat surprising given that he featured in neither of Felipão's first two Brazil squads but, coupled with Fred's selection, perhaps underlines the coach's preference for a target man up front. The supporting cast of attackers has a decidedly youthful feel, with Bernard edging out both his club colleague Ronaldinho and Kaká, who flattered to deceive in the seleção's last bout of friendlies.

Brazilian football digest: March

In my latest monthly round-up for Betting Expert, I discuss Hernanes' influence on the Brazil side, the embarrassing closure of the Engenhão and Mirassol's stunning 6-2 victory over Palmeiras. I also pick out my goal of the month from March.

Read the article here.

Will incidents prompt Brazil to tackle stadium ills?

Three incidents since the turn of the year – one of which resulted in the death of a young fan – have provided renewed cause for concern over fan behaviour and the stadium-going experience in Brazil. First came the collapse of a barrier during a Grêmio match, which left eight people requiring medical attention. Just four days later, fans reported a series of issues at the reopening of the Mineirão in Belo Horizonte.

Yet these problems seem insignificant next to the death of a 14-year-old supporter during the Libertadores match between San José and Corinthians, a tragedy that raised questions over the behaviour of Brazil's torcidas organizadas (supporters' groups) and their links to clubs themselves.

In my latest piece for ESPN FC, I reflect on these incidents – and the lessons that Brazil must draw from them.

(Photo credit: EduAndrade/LatinContent/Getty Images.)

The week(end) that was - #2

Football itself ceded centre stage to Brazil's stadiums this week, as the Arena do Grêmio and the Mineirão hogged the headlines for all the wrong reasons...

Stadium woes (part one)

"But can we still do the avalanche?" This was the first question asked by most Grêmio fans when plans for their new stadium were unveiled in late 2009. Their (in)famous goal celebration – which involves members of the Geral supporters' group rushing to the front of the terrace as one – was deeply associated with the Estádio Olímpico, whose shallow stands lent themselves to the idea as well as any. To maintain the tradition, one terrace of the Arena do Grêmio – which opened this year – was designed with the 'avalanche' specifically in mind – despite reservations voiced by the local military police corps over the safety of the celebration.

Those fears came flooding back last week. The safety barrier at the bottom of the stand dedicated to the 'avalanche' gave way as fans celebrated Grêmio's goal against LDU, leaving eight people requiring medical attention. Thankfully none were seriously injured, but in a state still in shock following the tragic events in Santa Maria, a hard truth seems to have hit home: tradition it may be, but a crowd of thousands piling down steps towards a barrier (sturdy or otherwise) is simply not safe. With local authorities and Conmebol investigating the incident, the addition of seats in the area is likely.

Miralles finds his feet at Santos

One of a number of Argentines to have come to prominence in Chilean football (see also: Darío Conca, Walter Montillo, Darío Bottinelli), Ezequiel Miralles made an inauspicious start to life in Brazil, making just nine Brasileirão starts for Grêmio before being shipped off to Santos in the deal that took Elano to Porto Alegre.

There are signs, however, that he could be ready to make a bigger impact in 2013. Miralles looked sharp in the seasiders' 3-1 derby win against São Paulo, scoring twice and linking up well with both Neymar and fellow hermano Montillo. With his waspish movement, the 29-year-old certainly provides a more subtle threat than André, his main competitor for a starting role. Much will depend on whether he can be similarly ruthless in front of goal, but Sunday's performance bodes well.

Stadium woes (part two)

After over a thousand days of restoration work, the Mineirão in Belo Horizonte was reopened by Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff in December. The new-look stadium was used for the first time this weekend, with the clássico between Cruzeiro and Atlético-MG expected to be a celebratory affair.

But the football itself was overshadowed by a host of problems reported by fans. The more serious allegations – a lack of drinking water (in water fountains and subsequently even from taps), understaffed bars which then closed due to overcrowding, no toilet paper in bathrooms – provide significant cause for concern. The distress evident on the face of one man caught on camera, desperate for water to give to his son, was particularly troubling.

"The idea that these are just little teething troubles doesn't cut it," seethed Estadão's Antero Greco. "Fans were treated with disrespect – like they were litter. And they have the cheek to put up banners that say things like 'Enjoy the party!' It's lamentable."

Home sweet... oh

Paulo Henrique Ganso played against Santos for the first time since his acrimonious departure last year. To celebrate the occasion, the Peixe fans printed fake bank notes with his name and face on them, threw coins and even made a Ganso 'Judas doll' (don't ask) to punch, scratch and curse. At least somebody was a little more forgiving.

Like a duck to water

It's fair to say that Alexandre Pato knows how to make a good impression. (Insert Barbara Berlusconi joke here, if you're so inclined.) It took the striker just three minutes – and three touches – to open his account for Corinthians after coming off the bench against Oeste. Incredibly, he has now scored on début for every team he had represented at senior level, having made similarly positive first impressions for Internacional, Milan and the seleção. Whether he can maintain the early momentum, of course, will depend largely on his fitness – as both he and the Timão medical department will well know.

A version of this article was published by The Guardian here.

Why Philippe Coutinho could be a star for Liverpool

Philippe Coutinho's proposed move to Liverpool edged ever closer to completion over the weekend, with Internazionale accepting a revised offer from the Anfield club.

I wrote a profile of the young Brazilian in my weekly Unibet column, in which I suggest that Coutinho, with his mercurial dribbling ability and eye for the unexpected, could be a big hit in the Premier League.

Click here to read the article.

The week(end) that was - #1

Welcome to a new feature! Once a week or so, I will reflect on some of the interesting stories that have developed in Brazilian football over the last few days (either over the weekend or during the week, hence the hopelessly non-comittal title). I'll be keeping it relatively short and sweet; brevity, after all, is man's best friend. Enjoy!

Tough times for Ganso

Paulo Henrique Ganso scored his first goal for São Paulo in their 2-1 win over Atlético Sorocaba but has a real fight on his hands to even establish himself in Ney Franco's first XI. The coach told Trivela's Luís Augusto Simon that the playmaker will have to compete with Jádson for a single spot in his preferred 4-3-3 formation, given that (a) Wellington and Denílson look like nailed-on starters and (b) neither Jádson nor Ganso is adept at playing wide. Ganso is certainly capable of higher highs than Jádson, but the latter is, in Brazilian parlance, far more regular – and sometimes consistency counts for a lot.

Elias and Renato Augusto start off on the right foot

Two of the bigger imports to Brazilian football made promising starts over the weekend. For newly austere Flamengo, former Sporting midfielder Elias roamed around nicely, managing to complete all 33 passes he attempted against Volta Redonda – no mean feat given his main attributes lie elsewhere. Renato Augusto, meanwhile, set up the winner for Corinthians against Mirassol (not a Cypriot town, despite its name), before awarding himself a modest six out of ten in the post-match press conference. More will be expected of both in the coming months, but a solid start never goes amiss.

Seedorf key for Botafogo

Veteran midfielder-cum-crooner Clarence Seedorf came off the bench for Botafogo and helped them rescue a point in the clássico against Fluminense. It was doubtful whether he'd even be in the matchday squad at all – his grandmother having died in Surinam recently – but his classy assist for Bolívar's equalising goal underlined once more how crucial he is for O Glorioso.

The countdown continues

The World Cup is now just 500 days away. While celebrations have been put on hold due to the tragic events in Santa Maria, a significant milestone was reached at the weekend: for the first time football was played in a (renovated) World Cup stadium. The Castelão (above) drew a modest (read: disappointing) crowd for the Copa do Nordeste match between Ceará and Bahia, for whom former Brazil midfielder Kléberson netted the winning goal. With works on the Mineirão also completed, eyes now turn to the remaining ten host cities. Sadly, a last-minute rush is all but guaranteed.

Neymar the willing provocateur

Neymar scored his fourth goal of 2013 for Santos against Bragantino. More notable, however, was the rugged treatment he received from opposition defenders: the seleção forward was fouled 12 times (of a total of 24 against the Peixe), with four Bragantino players getting booked for their challenges. Now the Neymar of two years ago would have moaned to the referee about such abuse, but an internal sea change appears to have occurred. "I don't care anymore," Neymar deadpanned afterwards; "One of them comes [and fouls me] and he gets a yellow card. The next guy tries, he gets one too."

His tricks against Botafogo-SP last week had led some to claim that Neymar aims to "humiliate" defenders, and that this somehow justifies rough challenges. (Corinthians coach Tite (in)famously asserted last year that Neymar is a "bad example" to young players for this very reason.) This is nonsense, of course; a player has the right to do whatever aids his team – and pleases fans – within the laws of the game. Angering opponents to the extent that they behave rashly is a legitimate tactic, albeit a dangerous one. It might be hypocritical, of course, to wind players up and then moan when you get fouled, but Neymar's comments suggest that he's not going to fall foul (ahem) of that dilemma anymore.


A version of this round-up was published by The Guardian here.

SKP in 2012

Happy new year, reader, and welcome back to this homely corner of the internet. I do hope that your festive holiday was as relaxing (and chocolate-based) as SKP's was.

Now that the niceties are over, let's get down to business.

SKP plans to do things a little differently in 2012. Whilst the writing of gameweek round-ups has been both enjoyable and excellent practice, it has become slightly counter productive - using up time and energy that I could be using to write more focused, interesting articles.


My plan is to write more pieces that I can pitch to various sites and publications, and hopefully (really stretching feasibility to its limit here) try to make a little money from this whole football writing game. Cross your fingers for me.

This isn't to say that I'm abandoning this site. It will remain a good place to find out about Brazilian football, albeit in a slightly different way. Rather than getting knee-deep in the nitty-gritty of every match, every week, I'll write articles with slightly broader themes, and maybe even throw in some new features.* It will be, I hope, a change for the better.

That's the tedious mission statement over. Godspeed.

*I will, of course, post a link here whenever an article of mine is published elsewhere. I'm good like that.

Neymar Signs New Santos Contract

I don't normally write about transfers and contracts here, but I'll make an exception today. Neymar has signed a new contract with Santos, a deal that (the club hopes) will keep him in Brazil until the 2014 World Cup.


The club have financed the deal through a partnership with Banco do Brasil, who will seek to benefit from Neymar's growing fame in the run-up to the 2014 tournament. Neymar, already the best-paid player at the Vila Belmiro, stands to benefit from a wage rise of around 50%.

Neymar, wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the slogan "It's good to be the King!" (in English) at this afternoon's press conference, expressed his delight at the deal. "I'm very happy here. I always said I was happy to be near my friends, and now my son. There's no bigger joy than agreeing to stay." His agent, Wagner Ribeiro, echoed these sentiments; "It's great for Santos [to keep] a player that makes the fans so happy."

Santos president Luis Álvaro de Oliveira Ribeiro took the opportunity to bemoan the incessant rumours about Neymar's future; "Often, the media is self-serving... I always said that we hadn't sold Neymar, and I was even called a liar." With the club's presidential elections looming on the horizon, he will be particularly pleased at having tied up the deal.

The news, of course, will disappoint Real Madrid and Barcelona, both of whom have expressed significant interest in the player over the last year. They, however, will have to wait: Neymar will continue to enchant Brazilian football fans for some time yet.

(Photo credit: Nacho Doce/Reuters.)

SKP and The Guardian

I'm delighted to announce that SKP has teamed up with The Guardian for the launch of the Guardian Sport Network.

The venture sees Guardian Sport partner with an initial selection of 15 blogs, in order to provide further depth (and variety) to its coverage. The roster includes wonderful blogs such as Zonal Marking, Cahiers du Sport, Football Further, The Seventy Two, Hasta El Gol Siempre, and Run of Play. Needless to say, I'm honoured that this site finds itself among such illustrious company.


So what are the implications of the partnership? I will continue to run SKP as normal, covering each round of the Campeonato Brasileiro until the end of the campaign. The more interesting posts (bonus points for any deluded soul who just thought to themselves: "but Jack, they're all interesting") will also appear on the Guardian site. Pretty simple really.

For more information about the Guardian Sport Network, click here.

Article in Soccer International Magazine

If you, cherished reader, either (a) live in Australia, or (b) know a really good newsagent, then I have a treat for you. For the first time, SKP has been properly published... physically published, with paper, ink, and all that jazz. I've contributed an article to the latest issue of Soccer International, Australia's flagship football magazine.

The magazine is already on sale (for a mere AUS$8.50, no less!), and includes plenty of great material about the upcoming Copa América. Go grab yourself a copy!

Franco Announces Squad for U20 World Cup

Brazil U20 boss Ney Franco has named his provisional squad ahead of the U20 World Cup in Peru. Plenty of familiar faces have made the cut, including Philippe Coutinho, Casemiro, and Diego Maurício. The involvement of Neymar and Lucas in the Copa América, however, means that they won't play a part.

In the squad; Philippe Coutinho.

The full squad is as follows;

Aleks (Avaí)

César (Flamengo)

Gabriel (Cruzeiro)

Danilo (Santos)

Galhardo (Flamengo)

Alex Sandro (Santos)

Gabriel Silva (Palmeiras)

Bruno Uvini (São Paulo)

Juan (Internacional)

Romário (Internacional)

Frauches (Flamengo)

Allan (Vasco da Gama)

Casemiro (São Paulo)

Fernando (Grêmio)

Dudu (Cruzeiro)

Alan Patrick (Santos)

Felipe Anderson (Santos)

Oscar (Internacional)

Philippe Coutinho (Internazionale)

Roni (Criciúma)

Diego Maurício (Flamengo)

Henrique (São Paulo)

Willian José (São Paulo)

Negueba (Flamengo)

Roberto Firmino (Hoffenheim)

Sebá (Cruzeiro)

The list, then, includes five Flamengo youngsters, three of which (Diego Maurício, Galhardo, Negueba) have featured for the first team this term. São Paulo and Santos are also well represented in the seleção. Coutinho - who was disappointed to miss the South American U20 tournament through injury - will likely attract plenty of interest, as will Casemiro, who is reported to be the subject of transfer interest from Europe. The tournament starts on the 29th of July.

(Oh, and a round of applause for what might be the weirdest name ever. Take a bow, Frauches.)

Menezes Announces Copa América Squad

Brazil boss Mano Menezes has announced the Brazil squad which will compete for the Copa América next month. The 22 man seleção includes Alexandre Pato and Paulo Henrique Ganso, both of whom have been deemed fit enough to appear in Argentina. Among the names to miss out are Kaká, Marcelo, Hernanes, Nilmar, and Thiago Neves.

On the list; Santos playmaker Ganso.

The full squad is as follows;

Júlio César (Internazionale)
Victor (Grêmio)

Daniel Alves (Barcelona)
Maicon (Internazionale)
André Santos (Fenerbahçe)
Adriano (Barcelona)
Lúcio (Internazionale)
Thiago Silva (Milan)
David Luiz (Chelsea)
Luisão (Benfica)

Ramires (Chelsea)
Lucas Leiva (Liverpool)
Sandro (Tottenham Hotspur)
Elias (Atlético Madrid)
Elano (Santos)
Jádson (Shakhtar Donetsk)
Lucas (São Paulo)
Paulo Henrique Ganso (Santos)

Fred (Fluminense)
Alexandre Pato (Milan)
Robinho (Milan)
Neymar (Santos)

There are very few surprises among the goalkeepers and defenders; Victor gets the nod over Fábio for the role of reserve goalkeeper, whilst Menezes continues to overlook Real Madrid left back Marcelo. The likes of Anderson and Henrique have failed to work their way into contention for the defensive midfield positions, with Mano keeping faith with Lucas Leiva, Ramires, and Sandro. Further forward, Jádson's impressive display against Romania may have helped earn him a spot, and São Paulo prodigy Lucas also makes the cut.

The most interesting selection, however, is that of Fred. The Fluminense man has only played around 100 minutes of football under Menezes, the majority of them spent marooned up front against Holland on Saturday. His goal against Romania, however, coupled with his recent club form, evidently proved enough for him to get the nod over players like Hulk and Leandro Damião. Many will also be surprised at the omission of Nilmar, who would have provided excellent back-up for Neymar or Robinho in the support striker roles. I, for one, would have included him at the expense of Elias.

Brazil play their first match in the Copa on the 3rd of July, meeting Venezuela in La Plata. Menezes will be desperately hoping that Pato and Ganso prove their fitness before that date; otherwise, this Brazil side could be worryingly reliant on Neymar.

(Photo credit; Santos website.)