The last three versions of the Copa Libertadores final have been all-Brazilian affairs. This re-enforces the point that the domestic Brazilian league, which kicks off at the weekend, has effectively become the English Premier League of South America.
Its relative financial muscle allows clubs to bring back veterans from Europe — even non-Brazilians such as Luis Suarez and Arturo Vidal — and sign younger players who failed to live up to expectations on the other side of the Atlantic. Moreover, improved scouting means that Brazil is hoovering up talent from neighbouring countries, just as the Premier League does in Europe.
And the financial gap between Brazil and the rest of the continent is surely set to open up still further. Recent changes allow for clubs to open themselves up to foreign investment. And there are big money proposals on the table for the clubs to organise their own competition, instead of the current arrangement where the league is organised by the CBF, the Brazilian FA. Sorting out the distribution of TV money is a headache in the negotiations, but there will surely be enough on offer to leave everyone sufficiently placated to take part.
Brazil’s dominance and its lack of continental opposition could even turn out to be a problem. In Argentina, River Plate have responded to the challenge by expanding their stadium, which now has the biggest capacity in South America — and there is a project for Boca Juniors to build something even bigger. But it is unclear how much this can level the playing field.
A player going to the Premier League knows that, on a European level he also faces the challenge of the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and so on. Barring a concerted move in favour of Pan-American competitions (a timid start is planned for next year) Brazil may almost be too dominant for its own good.
The more serious impediments, though, continue to be local. Organising football on a national basis is never going to be easy in a country the size of a continent, and this is a question that Brazil has yet to resolve. In the future, either under the auspices of the CBF or in a league run by the clubs, there is a glaring lack of a project aimed at re-organising an over-cluttered calendar.
Until last Sunday, the state championships were still being played — one for each of the 27 states. These mean that the big clubs are playing too many games, while the smaller ones do not have enough. Agua Santa, this year’s shock side, met Palmeiras last Sunday in the second leg of the Sao Paulo State final. Astonishingly, it is their last match of 2023.
