Pedro Guilherme of Flamengo celebrates after scoring the first goal of his team during the match … [+] between Fluminense and Flamengo as part of Brasileirao 2024 at Maracana Stadium on June 23, 2024 in Rio de Janeiro
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Despite being in the middle of the biggest international football tournament in continental America, Brazil and its federation cannot find the time to pause their domestic league. This might mean increased drama for locals, but does it make sense logistically or is it actually fair for clubs and players?
Four players in the Brazil squad are all missing around a month of action for their clubs whilst at the Copa América. As well as almost 20 other players who ply their trade in the Brazilian Série A but play for different national teams. Flamengo have three regular players missing who all play for Uruguay, for example.
Flamengo were without the likes of those stars for a big derby win over Fluminense recently. A victory that kept them top of the league and kept their fierce rivals Fluminense rooted to the very bottom. In fact, this derby win was also the nail in the coffin for Fernando Diniz as afterwards the legendary boss who led Fluminense to the Copa Libertadores title in 2024 was sacked.
Also at the top of the table in Brazil are the likes of Botafogo, surprise package Bahia and Palmeiras, who are without the likes of Colombia international Richard Rios. Atheltico Paranaense just behind them are missing various key men too.
Argentina has the second best league in South America after Brazil, but it has been paused for the duration of the Copa América. Even though it doesn’t have as many players missing from the league and only one player in the Argentina squad. This break comes in the middle of a long season in South America, it makes sense to use it for clubs to rest while the international games are on, but in Brazil it is easier said than done.
Before the Série A season can begin, many of the top teams in Brazil all play between 12 and 16 games in their respective state leagues. This means that the national top flight doesn’t get going for a few months, so the calendar is pretty packed.
The state leagues are historic in Brazil. A massive country of course, it allowes for local football and smaller clubs in certain regions to host the big sides, earn more money and play some competitive football. In state league matches a lot of the stars of tomorrow are found, and transfer fees from bigger clubs to smaller ones in the state keeps most of those institutions running. Simply put; state leagues are vital for the football food chain in Brazil.
The state leagues are run by the individual state federations whereas the Série A is run by the Brazilian national federation. This has led to power struggles of course and neither side is willing to back down or cut short their own tournament. This is perhaps the main reason why the Série A has continued during the Copa América and as you can imagine the clubs missing key players don’t think it is fair.
Brazil clearly has a problem beyond the Copa América with general scheduling as the league season finishes in December and in late January the state campaign begins. Add pre-season into the mix and the reality is players only have a couple of weeks off between seasons. It’s crazy. Of course international football and continental club competitions don’t help either, but the state and national federations need to try and work something out to get the domestic season running smoothly again.
What is the answer? That’s not an easy question. There has been some talk in Brazil of leaving the state league model behind and instead adding more tiers to the national football pyramid so smaller clubs in each state can still play competitive football all season long. The reality is that such a move would require agreement between national and state federations who are all looking to protect their own interests.
Fernando Diniz coach of Fluminense looks on prior to the match between Fluminense and Flamengo as … [+] part of Brasileirao 2024 at Maracana Stadium on June 23, 2024 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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Source link : https://www.forbes.com/sites/josephosullivan/2024/06/30/copa-amrica-show-doesnt-stop-brazilian-srie-a-drama/
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Publish date : 2024-06-30 11:09:30
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