FOOTBALL IN BRAZIL

RESEARCHERS AND SCHOLARS HAVE DOUBTS ABOUT THE ORIGIN OF SOCCER IN BRAZIL, BUT IT IS KNOWN THAT AS A “BALL GAME” IT WAS PROSCRIBED IN 1746, IN SÃO PAULO, BY LAW OF THE CITY COUNCIL AS A CAUSE OF DISORDER AND GROUPING OF VAGRANTS.

STREET NAME, THE STREET OF THE BALL GAME, WAS LATER NAMED AFTER BENJAMIM CONSTANT.

AS FOOT-BALL, THE ACCEPTED IDEA IS THAT OF THE BIRTH ON APRIL 14, 1895, IN SÃO PAULO, WHEN THE FIRST MATCH TOOK PLACE, UNDER THE FIRST SIGN OF THE ZODIAC, ARIES, WHICH SYMBOLIZES AUDACITY, ACTION, STRENGTH AND ENERGY, IN ADDITION TO EXERCISING GREAT LEADERSHIP AND DOMINATION OF THE MASSES.

ITS EMERGENCE IS ATTRIBUTED TO CHARLES MULLER, BORN IN 1874, BRAZILIAN, OF ENGLISH DESCENT, EDUCATED AT BANISTER COURT SCHOOL, SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND, WHERE HE MET FOOT-BALL, FELL IN LOVE WITH IT AND PRACTICED IT, PLAYING FOR THE HAMPSHIRE COUNTY TEAM. BACK IN BRAZIL, IN 1894, HE BROUGHT WITH HIM THE FIRST TWO BALLS, ONE OF THEM SOON NICKNAMED “PELLUDA” – BECAUSE IT STILL CONTAINED HAIRS ON THE LEATHER – UNIFORMS AND BOOTS. HE ORGANIZED THE FIRST GAME, IN WHICH HE ALSO PARTICIPATED IN THE SÃO PAULO ATLETIC CLUB, A CLUB OF INGLESES, FOUNDED IN 1888, WHERE CRICKET WAS MAINLY PLAYED.

IN 1897, A GERMAN IMMIGRANT, NAMED HANS NOBILING, REINFORCED THE IMPLANTATION OF FOOTBALL IN BRAZIL, FORMING THE NOBILING TEAM, WHICH WHEN IT DISAPPEARED LED TO THE FORMATION OF S. C. GERMÂNIA, OF GERMANS, THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS THE FOUNDATION OF S.C. INTERNACIONAL DE PORTO ALEGRE, IN 1899.

THE FIRST FOOTBALL CLUB WAS THE MACKENZIE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION, CREATED IN 1898.

FROM THEN ON, THE SPORT SPREAD RAPIDLY, BEING PLAYED BY THE WEALTHIER SOCIAL CLASSES, DUE TO THE HIGH COST OF UNIFORMS, BALLS AND EQUIPMENT, ALL IMPORTED.

FOOTBALL WAS PLAYED WITH EXCESSIVE VIGOR, WHICH MAINTAINED THE CHARACTERISTIC OF ITS ORIGIN, ENGLAND, AND FOR THIS REASON IT BECAME KNOWN AS THE “VIOLENT BRETON SPORT”. AT THE TIME, PLAYED ONLY BY WHITES,  A BEAUTIFUL GAME WAS THAT OF HIGH AND LONG PASSES, FORWARD, VIRILE DISPUTES, BEAK KICKS AND BRIBLES.

IN 1900, THE COX BROTHERS, LED BY OSCAR, BECAME THE PIONEERS IN RIO DE JANEIRO AND THEN ARRIVED IN BAHIA. UNTIL 1901 WHEN THE PAULISTA FOOTBALL LEAGUE WAS FOUNDED.

IN 1902, IN RIO DE JANEIRO, WITH THE NAME OF FLUMINENSE FOOT BALL CLUB, THE FIRST CLUB TO USE THE SPORT EMERGED, BASED ON THE NAME, CLEARLY DEFINING THE PURPOSE.

THEN CAME THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL MATCHES, LOGICALLY, WITH ADVERSE RESULTS. THE FIRST KNOWN MATCH WAS LOST TO THE ENGLISH FROM THE SOUTH AFRICA SHIP BY 6 X 0. THE FIRST VITÓRIA, EM 1913, OBTIDA PELO SPORT CLUB AMERICANO, EM SÃO PAULO, CONTRA UM COMBINADO URUGUAIO, BY 3 X 0. IT IS CONSIDERED A GREAT ACHIEVEMENT, BECAUSE OUR NEIGHBORS URUGUAY AND ARGENTINA USED TO IMPOSE SERIOUS DEFEATS ON US.

THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL VICTORIES CAME IN 1913, IN BUENOS AIRES AND MONTEVIDEO, ALSO OBTAINED BY S. C. AMERICANO, CHAMPION OF SÃO PAULO THAT YEAR.

FROM THE INITIAL STEPS, ONLY MEMBERS OF THE ELITE PARTICIPATED IN FRIENDLY GAMES AND CHAMPIONSHIPS. COMING FROM THE RICHEST AND NOBLEST FAMILIES, YOUNG PEOPLE WITH MANY STUDY PROJECTS, INCLUDING ABROAD, AND WITH THE RESPONSIBILITY OF HELPING PARENTS AND FAMILIES IN CHARGE OF THE BUSINESS, WITH LITTLE TIME TO DEDICATE TO PRACTICES AND TRAINING.

MEANWHILE, IN THE STREETS, IN THE BACKYARDS AND IN ALL THE FREE AREAS OF THE SUBURBS OF THE BIG CITIES, IN FLOODPLAINS NEAR THE ROADS THAT LED TO THE SMALL TOWNS, THE LESS FAVORED, SOCIALLY, YOUNG PEOPLE FROM MIDDLE AND LOWER CLASS FAMILIES, WHITE OR NOT, ALSO PRACTICED SOCCER, MOVED BY THE SAME FEELINGS AS THE PRECURSORS: DEEP PASSION AND DEFINITIVE LOVE.

THE PIONEERS OF SOCCER, IN ADDITION TO LITTLE TIME FOR THE SPORT, DUE TO THE RESPONSIBILITIES IN BUSINESS AND STUDIES, PLAYED THE EUROPEAN WAY, A DISPUTED, VIRILE GAME, OF LONG PASSES AND SHOTS TO THE ATTACK, CROSSES BY THE WINGS (POINTERS) AND FINISHES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AREA BY THE CENTER FORWARDS, WHO WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR ASSIGNING THE GOALS, BEING ALLOWED,  TO ACHIEVE THIS, PUSH THE GOAL KEEPERS, BALL AND ALL, INTO THE GOAL.

THE NEW AFICIONADOS, BY ORIGIN, HAD MORE TIME FOR THE GAME. BECAUSE THEY PLAYED IN SMALL SPACES (AREAS, BACKYARDS AND STREETS) AND IRREGULAR FIELDS, THE PLAYERS WERE FORCED TO PLAY SHORTER AND MORE PRECISE PASSES AND DOMINANCE, POSSESSION OF THE BALL BY THE TEAM, FEINTS AND DRIBBLES. IN ADDITION TO THESE FACTORS, OTHERS CONTRIBUTED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SKILL OF THE NEW BRAZILIAN PLAYERS, SUCH AS IRREGULARITY OF THE BALLS THAT, GENERALLY, NOT BEING THE OFFICIAL LEATHER ONES AND ALMOST PERFECT SHAPE, HAD THE MOST DIVERSE WEIGHTS AND SIZES. ANYTHING ROUND OR ROUNDED WAS PLAYED: SOCK BALLS, BALLOONS, FRUITS, ETC. ALSO THE BIOTYPOLOGICAL CONSTITUTION OF OUR PEOPLE, WHO BY NATURE ARE ENDOWED WITH QUALITIES CONDUCIVE TO THE PRACTICE OF SOCCER, SUCH AS SPEED, AGILITY, ELASTICITY, RHYTHM, GINGA, AMONG OTHERS, DUE TO THE MISCEGENATION THAT CHARACTERIZES THE FORMATION OF BRAZILIANS IN GENERAL, AND PARTICULARLY THE MELTING POT OF THE WHITE RACE OF THE SETTLERS (COLONIZERS) WITH THE BLACK OF THE SLAVES WHO WERE BROUGHT, RESULTING IN THE MULATTO, OUR GOOD CREOLE, THE AFFECTIONATELY CALLED “NEGÃO”. PRAISED IN PROSE AND VERSE, FOR HIS EXCEPTIONAL FOOTBALL QUALITIES, ALL OVER THE WORLD.

CLUBS IN COLONIES WERE THE FIRST TO USE PLAYERS FROM LESS FAVORED CLASSES. IT WAS IN 1913 THAT BRAZILIAN FOOTBALL BEGAN TO HAVE ITS OWN IDENTITY, WHEN S. C. CORINTHIANS PAULISTA, FORMED BY CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS AND WORKERS, COMPETED IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP OF THE PAULISTA LEAGUE, OVERTHROWING THE ELITE UNTIL THEN IN FORCE, PORTUGUESIZING THE ENGLISH TERMINOLOGY, THUS PROVOKING AN AUTHENTIC REVOLUTION, GIVING FOOTBALL THE MAGIC AND CHARM THAT THE FUTURE WOULD CONFIRM:  THE PLASTIC GAME OF PRECISE PASSES, MASTERFUL TOUCHES, FEINTS AND DISCONCERTING DRIBBLES, WHICH MADE BRAZILIAN FOOTBALL DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHERS, APPLAUDED ALL OVER THE WORLD.

HERE, IN THE VACANT LOTS AND FLOODPLAIN FIELDS, A PECULIAR WAY OF PLAYING AND AN INTELLIGENCE OF ACTING WAS DEVELOPED THAT SOON ALLOWED BRAZIL TO PARTICIPATE IN THE EVOLUTION OF GAME SYSTEMS, STRATEGIES AND TACTICS.

IT IS WORTH NOTING, FINALLY, THAT THE INTRODUCTION OF THE TERM BALÍPODO WAS ATTEMPTED, REPLACING THE WELL-KNOWN FOOTBALL, UNDER THE ALLEGATION THAT THE WORD FOOTBALL HAD AN ALIEN ORIGIN, CONSTITUTING A FOREIGNISM, WITH AN ENGLISH MORPHOLOGICAL FEATURE, WHILE BALÍPODO, OF GREEK ORIGIN, MORE APPROPRIATE TO THE FORMATION OF THE PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE, MEANING TO THROW WITH THE FOOT. HOWEVER, AS CAN BE SEEN, THE ATTEMPT HAD NO EFFECT, IT DID NOT SUCCEED, BECAUSE IT DID NOT FALL INTO POPULAR TASTE, AND IS STILL IN COMPLETE DISUSE.

THERE WAS ALSO CREATED BY A PHILOLOGIST, THE WORD LULOPÉDIO (FROM THE LATIN LUDUS = GAME AND PEDIUM = WITH THE FEET), A NEOLOGISM THAT, EQUALLY, DIED AT BIRTH. PODOSFERO (ORIGINAL PODOSJAIRO) IS WHAT THE GREEKS CALL FOOTBALL TODAY (FROM PODOS = FOOT + SJAIRA = BALL, SPHERE).

THE NAME FOOTBALL, “FUTCHIBÓU”, DEFINITELY PREVAILED. “FUTEBOR”.

P.S. – HOJE, 8 DE MARÇO É DIA DAS MULHERES: PARABÉNS A TODAS!

P.S. 2 – DIA 5 DE MARÇO COMEÇOU A QUARESMA, ATÉ DIA 17 DE ABRIL. JEJUM, PENITÊNCIA E ESMOLA.

P.S. 3 – “FUTCHIBÓU” É COMO O CARIOCA (POVO DO RIO, PRONUNCIA FUTEBOL; “FUTEBOR” COMO SE PRONUNCIA DO INTERIOR DE SÃO PAULO

PS3 – “FUTCHIBÓU” IS LIKE THE CARIOCA (PEOPLE FROM RIO PRONOUNCE FUTEBOL; “FUTEBOR” IS HOW THEY ARE PRONOUNCED IN THE INTERIOR OF SÃO PAULO)

By Jucele

Julio Leal

8 de março de 2025