24 – STORIES, HISTORY, FACTS, CASES AND “STORIES”:

BRAZIL VS EGYPT

IN THE 80S OF THE 1900S, BRAZILIAN COACHES BEGAN TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THE ARAB WORLD, WITH ZAGALLO AND MINELLI IN SAUDI ARABIA, DANILO ALVES AND PARREIRA IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, AMÉRICO FARIAS IN KUWAIT AND EVARISTO MACEDO AND RONALD DE CARVALHO IN QATAR.

THE GOOD EGYPTIAN COACHES DOMINATED THE FOOTBALL CLUBS AND NATIONAL TEAMS, WITH GREAT EFFECT, BUT THE ARRIVAL OF BRAZILIAN PROFESSIONALS (COACHES, TECHNICAL ASSISTANTS, PHYSICAL TRAINERS, GOALKEEPER TRAINERS, DOCTORS AND MASSEURS) RAISED THE LEVEL, INCLUDING THE FINANCIAL ONE, RELEGATING TO A LESS IMPORTANT PLAN THOSE WHO, DUE TO PROXIMITY AND LANGUAGE, FIRST ARRIVED.

AROUND 1984, THERE WERE 28 BRAZILIAN PROFESSIONALS AND THEIR FAMILIES IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, IN THE MOST DIVERSE FUNCTIONS, DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT ALMOST ALL SEVEN EMIRATES. THERE WERE ALMOST NO PLAYERS.

IN THE UAE THERE WAS A GOOD CHEMISTRY, BECAUSE DANILO ALVES OF MANY PERSONAL QUALITIES AND PROFESSIONALS (HE LED BOTAFOGO TO A RECORD OF 52 UNDEFEATED MATCHES) TOOK JAIRO LEAL AND INDICATED A MASTER OF FOOTBALL AND HUMILITY, CARLOS ALBERTO PARREIRA, FOR THE NATIONAL TEAM AND, NATURALLY, DUE TO THE SUCCESS OF BOTH, THEY WERE CONSULTED BY THE CLUBS THAT WANTED TO HIRE OTHER PROFESSIONALS,  GIVING YOURSELF A NATURAL SELECTION OF COMPETENCE AND PROFESSIONALISM.

AS THE GROUP INCREASED RELATIONS BETWEEN BRAZILIANS, AWAY FROM HOME, IT BROUGHT THEM CLOSER SOCIALLY AND, FROM THERE TO THE GAMES OF BRAZILIAN COACHES WITH SEVERAL FORMER PLAYERS OF EXCELLENT LEVEL: PAULO HENRIQUE, JAIR PEREIRA, IVO WORTHMAN, ZÉ MARIO, NELSINHO, VALINHOS, GILSON NUNES, OTTO VALENTIM DO BOTAFOGO, BRIDA, DANILO ALVES, JOEL SANTANA, VALTINHO, AND CLAUDIO GARCIA AMONG THEM,  TO SOCIALIZE.

IT WAS PLAYED EVERY TWO WEEKS, AT NIGHT, ON A DAY WHEN NOTHING DISTURBED THE SCHEDULE OF THE CLUBS AND THE NATIONAL TEAM (THERE FRIDAY WAS THE DAY OF REST, OF GOING TO THE MOSQUE, LIKE OUR SUNDAY). A PARTICIPANT, FROM THE CITY WHERE THE GAME WAS HELD, TOOK “BARLEY JUICES” THAT COULD ONLY BE BOUGHT, UP TO US$ 200.00 (TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS) PER MONTH, IN AN OFFICIAL ORGAN AND NO ONE COULD BE CAUGHT EXCEPT FROM THAT ORGAN TO HIS HOME, AT THE RISK OF SEVERE PUNISHMENT, SINCE THE SALE AND CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES WERE PROHIBITED. THE OTHERS TOOK THE SNACKS. THEY PLAYED FOR PLEASURE, FOR DISTRACTION, TO KILL THE NOSTALGIA FOR THE BALL AND FRIENDS, TO EXCHANGE INFORMATION AND NEWS FROM BRAZIL (THERE WAS NO CELL PHONE, INTERNET, OR PHONES AT HOME), TO SOCIALIZE, TO LAUGH A LITTLE, IN ADDITION TO HAVING FUN, BECAUSE THE BALL IS A GREAT FRIEND, IT SOCIALIZES, ONE WITH THE BALL IS NEVER ALONE.

WE PLAYED AGAINST TEAMS OF ENGLISH, FRENCH, GERMAN, DUTCH, ALWAYS VETERANS, TEAM OF VETERANS OF THE VARIOUS LOCAL CLUBS, SCHEDULED IN ADVANCE BY PAULO HENRIQUE, FORMER FLAMENGO FULL-BACK – 440 GAMES, ONE CLUB, AND THE NATIONAL TEAM – WHO DIRECTED THE AJMAN TEAM. VERY CHEERFUL AND FUN, GOOD IN THE GROUP.

TIME WENT BY, THE NEWS OF OUR GAMES RUNNING, EVERYONE WANTING TO FACE THE TEAM OF BRAZILIAN COACHES, ESPECIALLY THE EGYPTIANS, ALWAYS PROPOSING A GAME TO PAULO HENRIQUE.

KNOWING THAT THERE WERE THOUSANDS OF EGYPTIANS IN THE COUNTRY [AT THE TIME THERE WERE 900,000 (NINE HUNDRED THOUSAND LOCALS AND 2,000,000 (TWO MILLION FOREIGNERS), MOSTLY EGYPTIANS, INDIANS AND PAKISTANIS)} WE SUBLIMINALLY PREFERRED THAT SUCH A GAME DID NOT HAPPEN, WE JUST WANTED TO HAVE FUN AND SOCIALIZE.

THE EGYPTIANS INSISTED SO MUCH THAT ONE DAY THE “NO, THANK YOU” OF THE PERSON IN CHARGE FAILED AND “YES” CAME OUT.

PHODEO! THOSE OF THE PYRAMIDES, PHARAOHS AND THE NILE RIVER WENT ON TO CELEBRATE!

AMONG THEM THERE WERE MANY FORMER PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS, SOME STILL YOUNG, FROM BIG CLUBS, OF GREAT LEVEL, SEE SALAH. ONE OF THEM WAS TWICE CHOSEN “THE BEST FOOTBALL PLAYER IN AFRICA” IN 76 AND 79 – IF I’M NOT MISTAKEN, MAHMOUD EL KHATIB, “BIBO” – MANAGED THE JUNIOR (UNDER 20) OF AL-KHALEEJ, FROM DISTANT KHORFAKKAN, FAR FROM DUBAI, WHERE THE GAME WOULD TAKE PLACE AT NIGHT, IN ONE OF THE STADIUMS [THERE WERE FOUR CLUBS: AL NASR, AZUL; AL WASL, YELLOW; AL SHABBAB, GREEN; AL AHLI, RED].

THE DAY OF THE GAME ARRIVED, THE STADIUM WAS FULL, THERE WERE 21 PLAYERS IN UNIFORM (AL KHALEEJ’S HAD NOT YET ARRIVED), THEY BROUGHT A TRIO OF REFEREES WITH UNIFORM AND EVERYTHING, THE SHIELD OF THE EGYPTIAN FEDERATION (I DON’T REMEMBER WELL), JOURNALISTS, REPORTERS, CAMERAS AND VIDEO CAMERAS.

THE GAME BEGAN: TWO GOOD TEAMS THAT KNEW HOW TO PLAY THE BALL, LIKED IT SINCE THEY WERE LITTLE CHILDREN, SIMILAR STYLES, POSSESSION, NO FOULS, A REAL FRIENDLY! THE TEAM OF BRAZILIAN COACHES AND PROFESSIONALS CAME OUT AHEAD, 1 X 0. I DON’T REMEMBER WHO SCORED.

HALFTIME, IN THE LOCKER ROOM THE NICE CHAT, AS ALWAYS, SURPRISED BY THE “FAIR PLAY”, SOME COMMENTS ABOUT THE FIRST HALF, PRECAUTIONS TO BE TAKEN, THE DISPUTE AND OPPOSITION IMPOSED BY THE EGYPTIANS, A GOOD TEAM, SOME WERE YOUNG VETERANS. WE WERE ALREADY RETURNING TO THE FIELD, SUDDENLY A EXPLOSÃ0, SCREAMS, APPLAUSE, HYSTERIA, WE KNEW THAT IT WAS THE EGYPTIAN FANS NOTICING THE ARRIVAL, LATE, OF THEIR BEST PLAYER, BIBO, TWICE CHOSEN THE BEST OF THE AFRICAN CONTINENT, IT IS NO SMALL THING, STILL A YOUNG VETERAN, IN SHAPE, WHO DIRECTED, AS WE HAVE ALREADY SAID, THE JUNIOR OF AL KHALLEJ, OF THE FIRST DIVISION OF THE EMIRATES,  WHICH HAD PLAYERS IN ALL THE NATIONAL TEAMS, FROM THE DISTANT AND BEAUTIFUL KHORFAKKAN.

AS THE CITY WAS FAR FROM DUBAI, WHERE THE GAME TOOK PLACE, BIBO RESONABLE, WINNER, ONLY BEING ABLE TO TRAVEL AFTER THE END OF HIS TEAM’S TRAINING, THE PROVIDENTIAL DELAY OCCURRED.

THE GAME RESUMED, STILL WITHOUT THE STAR WHO ONLY GAVE 2 (TWO) TOUCHES ON THE BALL AND PLAYED EVERYWHERE. THE REFEREE, WHO WAS DOING WELL, IN A STOP AUTHORIZED THE SUBSTITUTION AND THE STANDS TREMBLED – NOT EVEN IN NORMAL GAMES THIS HAPPENED – THE ELEGANT SUBSTITUTE, ENTERING, EVERYONE GREETING, THE CROWD SALUTING.

I SAID TO VALINHOS: YOU WHO PLAY A LOT AND HAVE MIDFIELDER GAS WILL MARK “O FERA” ALL OVER THE FIELD, YOU WILL NOT LET HIM PLAY, EVEN IF HE PEES ON THE EDGE OF THE FIELD, DO NOT LET GO OF THE MAN, WE ARE WINNING, PROPOSING, EVEN AS A STRIKER, FAST, BUT WITHOUT RESISTANCE, TO RETREAT AND HELP, MAKING 2 X 1. EVEN SO, THE OPPOSING TEAM CHANGED EVERYTHING, A SINGLE SUBSTITUTION.  HE LOOKED LIKE SANDOVAL, ONE OF THE BEST I’VE SEEN DO “THE PIG IS NO LONGER WITH ME”, THEY STARTED TO PLAY MORE AND AT SPEED, “HE” TOUCHED, DIDN’T HOLD ON, NOR LOST THE BALL, TO THE SIDE, FORWARD, ‘TÛF-TÛF”. THE TEAM EVOLVED. ONE FLAG EVEN MARKED “NO OFFSIDE”, THE OTHER LET SOME PASS.

WE MADE SOME SUBSTITUTIONS, EVERYONE PLAYED THERE, DUE TO THE WEAR AND TEAR OF WHO WAS IN THE GAME OR NOT. I REMEMBER LUIZÃO ON THE LEFT SIDE IN PLACE OF PARREIRA WHO PLAYED WELL IN THE FIRST HALF. THE EGYPTIAN EQUALIZER CAME, I DON’T REMEMBER WHO CONSIGNED IT, THEY GREW EVEN MORE WITH THE CROWD SUPPORTING, CELEBRATING, THE DREAM OF BEATING THE CANARINHOS CLOSER, MORE PRESSURE, STRATEGICALLY WE RETREATED TO TAKE THE SPACES, COMPACT, TRYING TO NULLIFY THEIR 10, (IN THE FUTURE I WOULD SUCCESSFULLY TRAIN THE JUNIOR TEAM, UNDER 20, EGYPT AND THE MAIN TEAM). AN IDOL! THE ANIMAL PLAYED! TOWARDS THE END, SOME WOULD SAY AT THE END OF THE LIGHTS, OUR ELEVEN DEFENDING IN OUR FIELD, VALINHOS WITH THE HELP OF THE GOOD LEFT WINGER MELLO AND I, ALREADY TIRED, GLUED TO THE ARTICULATOR, BEHOLD, OUR DEFENSE TOOK A BALL, WHICH ENDED UP AT THE FEET OF THE AMBIDEXTROUS PAULO HENRIQUE, WHO PLAYED A LOT (HE MADE 440 APPEARANCES IN FLA AND PLAYED IN THE NATIONAL TEAM IN 1966),  WE ALREADY KNEW EACH OTHER FROM PREVIOUS GAMES, WE WERE IN TUNE, I LEFT OUR FIELD QUICKLY AFTER THE LONG AND PRECISE PASS, WITH A CURVE THAT DECEIVED THEIR DEFENSE, NOT OFFSIDE, NOTHING THE FLAG COULD DO. THE BALL FELL ON THE BACK OF THE DEFENSE, AT THE FUTURE POINT, I FELT THE “MOMENTUM” AND SPENT THE LAST ENERGIES ENCOURAGED ONLY BY OUR TEAMMATES ON THE BENCH, I CONTROLLED THE BALL AND RAN AT SPEED, THE STANDS FELL SILENT, THEIR WHOLE TEAM TRYING TO ARRIVE, BEHOLD, AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE OPPONENT’S AREA THE POTATO OF THE LEG LOCKED, THE POSTERIOR OF THE THIGH THREATENED TO TEAR AND,  LAST RESORT I PUT A “BEAK” ON THE BALL, WITHOUT THE SLIGHTEST SHAME, A GOAL IS ALSO WORTH IT. BALL IN THE CORNER, 2 X 1 FOR US. PURE LUCK!

THE REFEREE TRIED TO HELP, GAVE 10 NON-EXISTENT MINUTES OF EXTRA TIME, IT LOOKED LIKE TODAY’S FOOTBALL, WITH GAMES OF 100 MINUTES OR MORE. I HAD NEVER SEEN IT, NOR DID I EVER SEE MESTRE PARREIRA ON THE EDGE OF THE FIELD COMPLAINING, ASKING FOR THE END OF THE GAME.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! WHAT A STORY!

PARAPHRASING CHICO ANPISIO AND ONE OF HIS CHARACTERS: IS VALINHOS A LIE, A TERTA LIE? TRUTH!

IF THEY WON, WE WERE SURE THAT THE NEXT DAY IT WOULD BE PRINTED IN THE NEWSPAPERS, TALKED ABOUT ON THE RADIO AND ON TV PROGRAMS: EGYPT BEATS BRAZIL!

NOT THIS TIME…

THEY TRIED AND TO THIS DAY THEY SHOULD STILL TRY TO SCHEDULE THE “REMATCH”.

BOA, PAULO HENRIQUE! MAUBRUK MUDEREB PAULO!

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL: HAMILTON, ZÉ CARLOS, JOEL SANTANA, LAPOLA, MESTRE PARREIRA, PAULO HENRIQUE, DANILO ALVES, PROF. TEIXEIRA, JAIRO LEAL, JULIO E MELLO, PAULO EMÍLIO, ZÉ MÁRIO, LANCETTA, GOLD PIONEER ZÉ ROBERTO ÁVILA, NIELSEN, IVO WORTHMAN, LUIZÃO, LUIS CARLOS MARTINS, JAIR PEREIRA, LUIZ CARLOS MASSEUR, RENATO MASSEUR, GOLD PIONEER SEBASTIÃO LAZARONI, NELSINHO ROSA, DR. RUY, DR, WALTER, DR. ZÉ FERNANDES, ZAGALLO, MIGUEL BANANA, GETÚLIO, MORACI SANTANA, BRIDA, JORGINHO MASSAGISTA, OTTO VALENTIM, VALTINHO COVER OF JOHNNY MATHIS, PORTELA, CLAUDIO GRACIA, FALOPA, CHICO GONZALES, CAFÉ, RENÉ SIMÕES, GOLD PIONEER PAULO ROBERTO MINEIRO, GOLD PIONEER PROF. IVAIR MACHADO, AMONG OTHERS.

P.S. IN 1990 THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES QUALIFIED FOR THE FIRST AND ONLY TIME FOR THE WORLD CUP, IN GERMANY, WITH MESTRE ZAGALLO, BUT WHO DIRECTED THE TEAM IN THE CUP WAS MESTRE PARREIRA, WHO HAD STARTED THE WORK IN 84.

By Jucele

Julio Leal

Treinador de Futebol Campeão do Mundo Under 20 na Austrália em 1993

Football Coach World Champion Under 20 in Australia in 1993

June, the 6, 2025