World Cup: Is Brazil's federation holding the team back?

Brazil is always among the favorites to win the World Cup and it isn't hard to tell why.

Brazil has the most successful team in World Cup history. Brazil is the first nation to have lifted the trophy three, four and five times. Brazil is also the only country to have played at every World Cup to date and, since 1970, has always reached the tournament's knockout stages.

But they have not managed to win the trophy since 2002, when they beat Germany in the final in Yokohama, Japan. In World Cup terms, that might not be such a long time, but for Brazil it's too long. That tournament was the last time a non-European team won the World Cup, and the Selecao have been eliminated by European nations in the past four editions of the tournament, including the humiliating 7-1 hammering from Germany in 2014.

Yet Brazil's archnemesis is not current World Cup holders France, nor Germany. The Netherlands or Belgium are not to blame for their failings either. 

Brazil's enemy within

Brazil has been its own worst enemy: more specifically, its own football association, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), and its greed.

"The 2002 World Cup ends with Brazil being the only five-time world champion, with Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Cafu, Rivaldo, Kaka, Ronaldinho, a dream team," said Jamil Chade, a Brazilian author and journalist who has covered the team at the past four World Cups.

"But that's exactly when the CBF began to maximize the commercial aspect of the national team to an absurd level," Chade told DW.

Brazil's training camp ahead of the 2006 World Cup took place in the small Swiss town of Weggis. In a period of two weeks, the CBF sold a total of 48,000 tickets to see the team's training sessions, about 3,500 per session, charging about €20 (back then about $25) per ticket.

"Since there was an entrance fee, the players were expected to do something fun, juggle, dribble, balance the ball on their heads, etc. It turned into a circus. It turned into everything except a proper preparation for the World Cup," said Chade.

"There were complaints from the coaching staff but it was too late. The commercialization of Brazil's national team was more important than the sporting aspect. That's how a star-studded team that probably no one will ever see again — Roberto Carlos, Cafu, Rivaldo, Kaka, Ronaldinho and Ronaldo all in the same squad — couldn't get past the quarterfinals."

Brazil fans alienated

The national team's lucrative business approach has created a distance between the team and its own fanbase. More often than not, that distance is literal, too. 

In 2006, executives at the CBF signed a contract allowing external companies to arrange friendly internationals for the Brazil national team. In 2012, they organized the "Brasil Global Tour" that consisted of a series of friendly matches up until the 2022 World Cup. Out of a total of 60 games, only 11 of them were in Brazil in order to maximize profits abroad.

The tour's website proudly claims that it is "setting the standard in ticket sales, broadcast viewership and sponsorship revenue, while securing top-ranked opposition to prepare for key tournaments." However, the tour's last two matches on home soil were not exactly against top sides, with Qatar and Honduras both comfortably beaten in 2019.

"I had access to the contract of the Brazilian team with the company that organized the friendlies [before 2012]. It stated that the CBF was required to always field their first team," said Chade. "But if you want to plan a squad to win the World Cup in four years' time, sometimes you need to test out young players to have the best chances. But that wasn't possible for the national team due to their contracts.

"Another part of the contract stated that if a player got injured and couldn't participate in a friendly, the CBF was committed to call up another player with a similar marketing value. It wasn't about the player having the same abilities or tactical function for the coach. No, the contract said the substitute had to have a similar marketing value. That's not sport, that's a business,"

Chade released an investigative report publishing extracts of the contract in 2015. In response to the report, the CBF issued a statement disputing those claims and compared the national team to a rock band which, according to the CBF "would have the value of its concerts renegotiated if performed without its lead singer."

The CBF has been marred by a series of scandals for years. Former president Ricardo Teixeira was forced out of the job over allegations of bribery and financial irregularities in 2012. His successor, Jose Maria Marin, was sentenced to four years in prison in 2018 for his participation in a scheme to accept bribes in exchange for the media and marketing rights to football tournaments. Marin was then replaced by Marco Polo Del Nero, who was banned from all football-related activity by FIFA after being found guilty of receiving bribes.

The CBF's current "Brasil Global Tour" contract with Pitch International, a British sports marketing firm, runs out in December. Various reports claim the agreement will not be extended, but when approached by DW, the CBF could not confirm those claims.

"We don't know if we will discuss again with [Pitch International] or follow another way. But for now, it's a little bit early to talk about this. We will have [friendly] games next year, so we still have time to think and see what's the best way to go," CBF communications director Rodrigo Paiva told DW.

Tite offers stability

But going more than two decades without winning the World Cup cannot be good for business, or for the national team's brand value.

"There is a breakup between Brazil and their supporters. Initially because of that physical distance, then also due to the corruption at the CBF and ultimately there's an exhaustion of going many years without titles,” said Chade.

The good news for Brazil is that they will go into the 2022 World Cup not only as strong favorites but also as the top-ranked team in the latest FIFA world rankings. Many betting sites and bookies are backing Brazil as the country with the best odds to win the tournament in Qatar.

There has also been stability at the helm since the last World Cup. Tite will be the first coach to take charge of Brazil at two consecutive World Cups since Tele Santana did so in 1982 and 1986. There has been trust in his process so far and the coach has plenty of firepower in his squad with attacking options such as Richarlison, Raphinha, Gabriel Jesus and Neymar.

Not only do Brazil boast a star-studded squad but a young one as well. Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo, as well as Manchester United's Antony, are in their early 20s but already have years of experience playing at the highest level.

"Neymar looked at me and said: 'Coach, these kids that are coming, it's just nuts... what a good headache to have to try to put them all on the field.' I agree," said Tite in an interview with Reuters in July.

The squad is not short on quality elsewhere on the pitch either. Goalkeeper Allison, defenders Militao and Marquinhos, and midfielders such as Casemiro and Fabinho top off a Brazil squad that at least on paper seems close to invincible.

"We have other players who are also decisive and vital. That's good for Neymar, the national team, and the coach. It's good for us as a team," added Tite.

A World Cup victory in Qatar could help Brazil finally patch things up with their supporters and give them a chance to recover their ginga - the essence and magic of Brazilian football. Adding a sixth star to their crest would also help them regain their status as the nation of football.

Edited by: Matt Pearson