The Brazilian Football Academy was created on the recommendation of Dr. João Havelange, then President of FIFA, for the development of Football in Africa, mainly, and all over the world!

Its founder was the Professor, Doctor Manoel Espezim Neto, known in football as Doctor Neto and Bermuda, to the intimates, with the help of the Football Director who assisted Dr Havelange, Dr Carlos Alberto de Carvalho, inseparable partners.

Its creation took place on November 9, 1975 in Rio de Janeiro, having as co-founders, Professor Américo Faria, Professor Carlos Alberto Lancetta, Professor and World Champion Carlos Alberto Parreira, Master Zagallo and other important names in Football.

Therefore, today we celebrate the 48 years since its foundation, in which thousands of Coaches have been trained, recognized by FIFA, mainly in Africa, and then in several Continents and Countries.

Initially there were 2 (two) Courses in Rio, with about 28 (twenty-eight participants each) one in July and another in December, lasting 3 (three weeks) with practical classes in the morning (when a youth team from Rio performed the scheduled class), another practice in the afternoon (performed by the participants themselves) and theoretical classes in the evening with the participation of the best Trainers.  Physical Trainers, Doctors, Goalkeeper Trainers and other related activities such as Psychology, Physiology and etc…

On weekends they followed the games of the main teams in Rio in July and Brazil in December, when they made reports and received evaluations.

After Dr. João Havelange left FIFA, the Federations began to have difficulty in sending former players, players, coaches and suitors to the Courses, and Professor Neto then created the Itinerant Course, going to the interested places, mainly Africa, Middle East and Central America.

Unfortunately, Espezim passed away from COVID in 2020 and with that the activities of the Academy ended, as he was the one who had all the functioning of memory, a very high IQ, one of the greatest I have known, an outstanding human being, Player, Football Referee, Radio Broadcaster, Journalist, Lawyer, Physical Education Teacher (graduated in my Class,  Pioneers of Fundão, in 1972), FIFA Instructor and Football Coach, in addition to being part of the top echelons of FIFA.

The memories, the remembrances and the legacy remain.

South Africa has highly successful Trainers who have attended more than one course: Zippo, Mandla, ManQloba, there are many spread around the world

Congratulations, Brazilian Football Academy: it would be 48 years old today, 46 years of activity!

Founder of BFA, Prof. Dr, Espezim Neto and Co-Founder Julio Leal are Pioneers of Fundão

Pioneers of Fundão: Golden Jubilee in 2023, 1972 – 2022. This year 51 – a good idea, head to Platinum

By Jucele

Julio Leal

November 9, 2023

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Twitter: @Julio Cesar Leal