4 – Spy: profession danger.

4 – Spy: profession danger.

One of the most common and important situations in football is the observation of games and opposing players, which we know as espionage, which refers to 007 movies.

An Auxiliary that we had in America of São José do Rio Preto, of São Paulo, Professor Detto Pereira, was very important in a beautiful campaign of this Club in Paulista. On trips to spy, observe and study our next adversaries traveled more than 40,000 kilometers, the equivalent of one lap around the Earth. But this story he has to tell… went through every one! Maubruk – Congratulations.

The case of I intend to humbly speak of a participation in a case of espionage (and counterespionage).

I was Coach of the UAE Base Divisions and assisted Master Parreira in the Main Team, who tasked me with spying and observing the Bahrain National Team, our opponent of the first game of the Gulf Cup in 1989 (when we won the runner-up), which we would not be able to see inside the competition, like the other teams. Mission given, travel and lodging arrangements made, Bahrain made a camping at home. I entered the country without problem and when I arrived at the hotel booked, I was going down the hall when I see a huge group in a sports uniform, a football team, and among those in the front I recognized Wilson, a former jeweler, who started as a Masseur with Américo and with me at Olaria, in 1972. I hid quickly, and so it was during the days of observing practices, practice games and newspaper, radio and television articles. Mission accomplished successfully.

Lo and behold, just before the start of the competition we received the information that Bahrain would play the last friendly match at home, a bye bye of the crowd. Master Parreira sent me again to the task of espionage. When I arrived at the passport checkpoint, I was told to wait in an adjoining room, it was game morning. They certainly noticed that he had already entered the country and was one of the Emirati Assistants and Coach of the Youth Teams.

At lunchtime a military police officer came to say that they were still checking my documents. Surprised, he acknowledged to me, I was the Goalkeeper of the Bahrain Under 20 team in a qualifier in Qatar for the Under-20 World Cup, I was the Emirati Coach. At the time he was seriously injured in a game, there was no Doctor, and the Masseur Wilson (who played in all) brought us the player, which I referred to the excellent White Doctor (from the former Yugoslavia). Treated in our Medical Department, he recovered and returned to play, but he did not forget. He said, then, that they knew that I was there to accompany their Selection, although in the interview I had stated that I was there to open an account at Banco do Brasil, because in the UAE there was not one. The Captain, courteous, left and came back with a meal, I thanked him, but as I had read in the spy books, I did not ingest…

Another meal was brought by the Captain-Goalkeeper (captain of the team and also in the Army, I was over 20 years old, by the way) and finally, very late at night they released me to enter the Country. The game was over, but I refused to enter saying that at that time the Bank would already be closed, would return on another date. I didn’t have to use the spy pill! Then we watched the video tape of the match.

In the competition I met Wilson, I reported the two occurrences, we laughed a lot… Good guy, the Daughter married a Sheik and established, after many years of work, the residence there, where they lived very well and safely (when she decided to close her Gold business in Rio and become a Masseur, it was by violence which was already beginning to ravage the City). They had prestige, in fact our Masseurs were successful in the Arab world!

Life as a spy is not easy! Let it say 007!

P.S. Happy Birthday Predilect Nephew Huguinho