Snak

Premier League and Serie A clubs in for Kaká, says agent

Kaká´s agent has revealed that the Brazilian is considering a move to either the Serie A or the Premier League after declaring his intention to leave Real Madrid.

Former employers AC Milan were thought to be in the running but now late interest from from other sides is being considered.

Kaká is yet to make a first team appearance under the Italian this season and his agent Diogo Kotscho believes a return to Italy or a Premier League switch is a very realistic possibility.

"It´s hard to talk about a possible destination now, but there is interest, including teams from Italy and England. It´s hard to say where he is going now. It´s not a secret that Kaká wants to go back to Italy but that depends on a lot of things," Kotshco told ESPN Brasil.

"The Brazilian transfer window is closed. So is the one for the MLS. He wants to live in the United States in the final years of his career and sees some possibilities, but it will not happen at this moment."

The 31-year-old scored twice on Thursday night as Madrid beat Deportivo La Coruna 4-0 in a friendly to lift the Teresa Herrera trophy.

Nogle gange småkigger jeg lidt på sydamerikanske kampe, hvis jeg ikke kan falde i søvn ved midnatstid (der er tit sydamerikanske kampe på diverse streams ved 23-24-01-02-tiden). Jeg har lagt mærke til, at der er utroligt få tilskuere til brasilianske kampe. Mens der er mange flere tilskuere og meget federe stemning til argentinske kampe. Egentligt lidt påfaldende.

I min naivitet troede jeg, at f.eks. Flamengo var et hold med vildt megen støtte. De spiller, så vidt jeg ved, på Maracaná og jeg blev lidt overrasket over at se en kamp med dem for nylig, hvor der ikke engang var kvart fyldt på deres hjemmebane.

Nogen der ved, hvorfor der er så få tilskuere til brasilianske kampe? Jeg formoder at interessen er stor. Så det må have noget med økonomi eller måske social uro at gøre?

@ Farso

Der spilles langt flere kampe i Brasilien flere uinteressante kampe følger heraf, Statsmesterskaber. Brasilerão, det er dyrere at gå til fodbold i Brasilien end i eksempel Argentina, Argentina har også den fordel at National A i overvejende grad er Buenos Aires baseret, med et par hold i Rosario og Mendoza ...det samme er ikke tilfældet i Brasilien - Brasilien er et langt større land end Argentina, geografisk, økonomisk - det går fint i Sambaland folk har flere penge - flere muligheder, en smule mere kræsne at lokke til Stadion - med mindre det er en finale kamp, eller et af de lokale opgør mod arvefjenderne....

Steve Vickery englænder bosat i Brasilien har begået den her artikel - opsummer det ganske godt.


Brazilian fans paying the price for modernisation


In last week´s second leg of the final of the Copa Libertadores, Atletico Mineiro of Brazil did not only win the trophy - they took the extraordinary sum of nearly $7 million at the box office. A quick, back of the envelope calculation reveals that the average ticket price was over $100.

This was a case of exceptional circumstances - the most important match in the history of a big club. But the trend is already out there in Brazilian football.

Last Sunday, for example, Flamengo played Botafogo in a traditional Rio de Janeiro derby, the first time that either had played in the city´s iconic Maracana stadium since its reopening. This was a run of the mill Brazilian league game. But the cheapest ticket (though club members and students can buy at half price) was around the $40 dollar mark - a huge sum for the average working guy in a country with an income distribution as skewed as Brazil.

The situation gave rise to a protest outside the stadium which was funny, creative, intelligent and timely - and which united supporters of both clubs. The powerful weapon of irony was harnessed and carried into battle.

Groups of fans dressed up in aristocratic gear - smoking jackets, monocles, top hats, elegant dresses, with placards complaining that the prices were too cheap (´RS100´ - the equivalent of $40 - ´for me is nothing but small change,´ was my particular favourite).

The point they were making with such class was that the new reality of Brazilian football - with its modern 2014 stadiums now coming into use - is pricing the traditional fan out of the game. The working class guy is now expected to watch the match on TV, usually in a bar that can afford pay-per-view.

This price hike is not only morally repugnant. It is also bad business. The Flamengo-Botafogo match, for example, did not sell out. Indeed, I am told that the TV images made the ground look half empty - since the most expensive seats are at the side, around the half way line. Few of these were sold, and they are especially visible on the screen.

Botafogo play at the Maracana again this Thursday. How many fans can afford - or are willing at these prices - to keep coming back?

There is a basic error in pricing a football match as if it was a Paul McCartney show. One happens rarely. The other is frequent and dependent on the forming of habit. One of the fundamental truths of football is that the crowd are not spectators. They are active participants in the spectacle. The atmosphere they create is both an attraction in itself and a factor capable of influencing events on the field.

The Brazilian game already has enough problems getting people into the stadiums - kick off times determined by TV, a poorly organised calendar, fear of violence (both football-related and social), inadequate transport infra-structure. Average crowds in the Brazilian Championship are around the 13,000 mark. When FIFA awarded the 2014 World Cup to Brazil it did so in the explicit hope that the tournament would give domestic crowds a boost.

It may happen. But not at these prices. Indeed, it is likely that the government will at some point become a player in this debate. After all, it was public money that financed the construction of the stadiums in discussion in this article - the Maracana in Rio and the Mineirao in Belo Horizonte, scene of Atletico´s historic Libertadores box office return. Both are now administered by private consortiums, in itself a source of controversy. On wonders how long it will take before the government steps in and uses political leverage to ensure that Brazil´s historic mass entertainment is within the reach of the masses.

and another....

If you build in Brazil, they won´t necessarily come

On paper, it should be a no-brainer: With the excitement generated by the Confederations Cup, World Cup and brand-new stadiums, Brazilian clubs should be experiencing a feel-good effect at least vaguely similar to the one that helped push the Bundesliga past its European counterparts as the highest-attended football league in the world in the past decade.

Reality, however, could mean Brazil ends up with more of a South Africa 2010 hangover scenario. Recently published attendances figures show that the openings of new grounds has had a positive effect in Campeonato Brasileiro matches, but it´s hardly the stuff of dreams: After 12 rounds, the top flight so far averaged 13,600 fans per game, a paltry increase on the 13,148 average earlier this year compared to under 12,000 in 2012.

Even less inspiring is the fact that last year already marked the lowest figures in six years. Compared to numbers around the world, we see the obvious: Brazilian football still sits outside the top 10 in average attendance -- in fact, when taking into account the 2012 average, it sat below the MLS and even the Bundesliga 2 and the Chinese Superleague. Last weekend, the duel between Sao Paulo FC and Flamengo, two of the biggest winners in the history of Brazilian football, didn´t fill up the 60,000 seats at Brasilia´s brand new Mane Garrincha, which is set to host seven games in next year´s World Cup.

It´s cause for concern given that the venue is far away from both clubs´ supporters bases, in Sao Paulo and Rio respectively, and chosen specifically for the supposed novelty factor amongst the local population.

The new arenas are giving the competition a lift, having registered an average of 26,052 fans between them. Before Flamengo vs. Sao Paulo, Mane Garrincha had averaged 52,891 fans in four games, but the obvious caveat is that the fixture list for the 2013 "Brasileirao" has been purposefully crammed with derbies in the early rounds, explaining why the arenas are busy. And as TV shots prove, the public tends to occupy the cheaper seats, leaving gaps galore for the cameras. Last month, the Maracana´s first game after the Confederations Cup final saw only 35,000 attend the local derby between current Brazilian champions Fluminense and Vasco -- less than half of the stadium´s 78,000 capacity.

"Even the players enjoy the game more with bigger crowds. There are beautiful arenas in Brazil, but we need people to make them look alive," said Clarence Seedorf, now in his second season for Rio side Botafogo.

Brazilian clubs have high expectations about the post-World Cup scenario, but the fact remains that in the last 30 years the league has only twice broken the 20,000 supporters per game mark. Part of the decline can be attributed to the "shrinking" of grounds thanks to adaptations imposed by FIFA in the 1980s that prevented Flamengo, for example, from attracting crowds of 120,000-plus to Rio.

But it shouldn´t masquerade a decline much more rooted in a combination of factors that range from poor conditions for the fans to the absence of stars, especially from the mid-1990s onward when talent fled to Europe -- in 2005, for example, Brazilian clubs lost 463 players during the two transfer windows.

That said, Brazilian clubs are now known for importing quality, with a parade of well-known players plying their trade in the Brasileirao. So the problem must also lie on the fact the new arenas are far from a cheap place to get in. Unforgivably, Flamengo charged a minimum U.S. $50 for its recent match against minnows Portuguesa, a value that jumped to $75 for the rendez-vous with Ronaldinho and Atletico Mineiro.

Some commentators will even point to the introduction of a classic "first past the post" European league system in 2003, that replaced the much-loved playoffs. As fair as the new system was to the clubs with better management on and off the pitch and the stats showing increases in average attendance, the best mark reached in the "league" years was in 2009, when an average of 17,807 turned up per game.

So why the gap between domestic figures and the 50,291 per game average during the Confederations Cup? While it´s true that a shorter tournament and diverse array of teams helps -- the Selecao included -- the vast difference in turnout still highlights a worrying sluggishness ahead of the World Cup.

(Also of worry: Brazilian clubs, in search of diverse revenue streams due to inflated TV rights, might struggle to command the same value among fans and sponsors alike once the World Cup leaves town.)

In short, clubs will not be able to rely only upon travelling circus-like schemes to keep the 12 World Cup stadiums free of cobwebs after 2014. There´s a lot of homework to be done. Something is clearly amiss when the 2012 Brazilian champions Fluminense attract only 12,700 supporters per game, lagging behind even second and third divisions sides.

For years, Brazilian experts have been calling for clubs to think outside the box when it comes to their relationship with supporters. Maybe now they might start listening.

and yet another...

Brazilian football getting sick of playing musical stadiums

Quiz question: how many stadiums would usually be used over the course of a season in a league that contains 20 teams?

Don’t overthink it. The answer is 20. There will be occasional variance, of course, to account for stadium sharing (AC Milan and Inter Milan, for instance) and for unforeseen circumstances (see Cagliari’s recent ground-hopping exploits), but as a general rule every team has one home and one home alone.

But not in Brazil. Nearing the halfway stage of the Campeonato Brasileiro season, no fewer than 32 stadiums have been used.

They come in all shapes and sizes. There are small, relatively modest ones (Batistão, Moacyrzão) and huge, sparkly new ones (Arena Pernambuco). There are cavernous coliseums (Morumbi), cramped bear pits (Independência, São Januário) and, well, the Estádio do Valé, which only has one stand. Above all, however, there are simply loads of them being used.

Much of this can be attributed to renovation and construction work taking place in the lead-up to the World Cup. With many of the country’s most loved arenas being spruced up ahead of the 2014 showpiece, plenty of clubs have had to adapt to a nomadic existence.

Take Flamengo, the best supported team in Brazil. With the Maracanã out of action until the Confederations Cup, they played their first “home” game of the year in Juiz De Fora – a city that’s not even in the state of Rio de Janeiro, let alone anywhere near Fla’s Gávea base – before temporarily hanging their hat at the Orlando Scarpelli stadium, fully 750 kilometres down the coast in Florianópolis.

It didn’t end there either. Flamengo next hosted Coritiba at the brand new Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha… in Brasília.

That stadium, built at colossal expense (around £275million – more than 30 per cent over budget) was widely expected to be one of the most conspicuous white elephants of the World Cup project, not least because the Distrito Federal boasts a grand total of zero clubs in the top two divisions of the Brazilian game.

The long-term viability of the arena is still doubtful but it has come as a pleasant surprise that the eight Série A matches staged there (seven of which featured Flamengo) have brought in, on average, 39,000 paying fans – significantly more than the league’s average attendance of 14,200.

But it’s not all sunshine and smiles. When Botafogo and Fluminense agreed to play their local Rio derby at the Arena Pernambuco, eyebrows were raised; it’s one thing to give faraway fans something to cheer but quite another to deny your hometown support in a clássico. To make matters worse, fans in Recife issued a collective shrug, meaning the game – presumably seen as a potential money-spinner for the clubs involved – attracted just 9,700 people.

Botafogo at least have an excuse for trying something different. The Engenhão, at which they were long-term tenants, was decommissioned earlier in the year due to structural flaws, just six years after the Pan-American games for which it was built. As a result of that farce, they have felt more homeless than most, as star midfielder Clarance Seedorf admitted last month.

“This is huge problem for Brazilian football,” said the Dutchman. “Sadly these things are out of our hands, but the people responsible could at least think about the good of the game here.”

Those thoughts would likely be echoed by fans who have seen ticket prices jump up, particularly at World Cup venues. When Vasco played Flamengo in Brasília (another relocated derby) the cheapest ticket came in at R$100, or £27 – a cost that would scarcely have been conceivable as recently as five years ago.

Club directors, of course, can attempt to justify those prices on the basis that the crowds are coming in. Average league-wide attendances are slightly up from last year, they can claim – even if they do still trail those of what many Brazilians would consider to be lesser leagues, like Major League Soccer.

But at some stage the novelty value attached to the current game of musical chairs will begin to dwindle. When that occurs, teams will need to find longer-term solutions that suit their core fans – and their purses. Home is where the heart is, after all.

især den sidste artikel er meget sigende omkring Flamengos situation.

især den sidste artikel er meget sigende omkring Flamengos situation.

Præcis - Corinthians havde jo var det ikke 30.000 dertog med til Tokyo til kampen mod Chelsea det er et spørgsmål om prioritering udfra et økonomisk perspektiv antager jeg...

iøvrigt du har slet ikke kommenteret på NPATO´s finkulturelle indslag på den forgående side ! ;-)

Milan reveal Kaka talks

Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani has admitted that the club are in talks with wantaway Real Madrid midfielder Kaka.

Kaka, 31, expressed a desire to leave the Spanish capital on Thursday after struggling to become a permanent member of Real´s first team.

The Brazilian – who played for Milan between 2003 and 2009 – is reportedly keen on a return to the Serie A giants.

Galliani, who ruled out a potential return for the playmaker in June, confessed to being in talks with him on Friday.

Galliani also confirmed that Milan are trying to sign CSKA Moscow´s Keisuke Honda and that both of them coming to the club would be unlikely.

"It is complicated at this time," Galliani told Milannews.it.

"We are closer to signing Keisuke Honda than Kaka and a deal for one would exclude the other."

Kaka – who cost Real a then-world record fee of €65million in 2009 – has made 120 appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring 19 goals.

Chepo de la Torre faces mounting challenges

The title has nothing to do with the wonderful novel by Torcuato Luca de Tena, who narrates his own life experiences lived from the bowels of a psychiatric hospital -- no, "The twisted lines of Chepo" shows that in the middle of a momentous era, with two games that have emotionally and athletically lit the way to the 2014 World Cup, the environment surrounding the Mexican national soccer team is once again inappropriate.

It´s always the same illness in Mexican soccer: a lack of discipline, overindulgence, self-interest, cheap shots and revenge. The same illness its always had...

A European-level goalie who tries to set the conditions of his role on the team.

A player in the prime of his career who walks away from the national team. A team that challenges the agreements, exerts its influence, and alters the selection training process. A striker who has not been capable of playing even a single minute of the regular season, because of an apparent injury, and is able to come by only for photo calls or to make himself a business associate.

Or Guillermo Ochoa´s condition to join the team only if he is guaranteed a place in the starting lineup (this is according to manager Jose Manuel "Chepo" de la Torre´s version of things, because the player hasn´t made any comments yet).

Different views have come about and some are so in contrast with others that it is truly surprising. Public opinion is divided. One side believes that Ochoa has demonstrated the level of skill needed to be Mexico´s goalkeeper; the other side thinks his stance on the issue is not going to benefit the overall health of the Mexican national team.

Then there is the case of Carlos Vela. This is a player in his prime on the field, who with his team, la Real Sociedad, has qualified for the group stage of the European Champions League. Just as he is shining on the field, scoring goals, carrying the whole team on his shoulders, Vela won´t respond to the call to play with the Mexican national team. Every goal, every moment, every victory Vela celebrates is a direct kick to the gut of the national team´s coach and also to the image of the director of the national soccer team commission.

Vela has created a thin veil of hope, placing himself as the savior of the anxiety-ridden, a dazzling player who at any time might come and play superhero and rescue the Mexican national team. The reality is that Vela won´t play for Mexico, and since he doesn´t want to play for Mexico, he is not the hope or savior or any other viable answer.

Another feature can be added to the uncertain outlook of Chepo´s field. Pumas and America cannot play Sunday due to a security issue and teaching protests in the capital. The game will be postponed until Monday instead, when the Mexican national team is already focused on the games against Honduras and the United States. So what does America do? Use all the power of their influence. A couple of calls solve everything: They will play on Monday night, with their starting lineup, the same group that will be joining the Mexican national team´s training sessions late. A sacred agreement the teams´ owners made was that the Mexican national team would have top priority. This time, it didn´t. Chepo´s authority was once again usurped, just as it was at that meeting at Justino Compean´s home.

And the last point is called Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez, who has not played a minute for Manchester United this regular season. The club says he has a strained muscle. Even with that, he has made Mexico´s lineup.

What kind of player can bring Mexico to two decisive victories? An uninjured Javier Hernandez, but he comes with a lack of speed and with an utter lack of confidence in his leg. Is it worth calling him up in his current state? Or maybe the question is: Will Hernandez come because he is the marketing face of the Mexican national team?

Chepo doesn´t need more fuel for the "big bonfire" than what the Mexican national team has brought with it. The situation on the field is hot enough and there are even more details to dig up and add to it, but for now, there is enough here already. Mexico seems to be growing more complicated by bending over backward for players who themselves are responsible for the complicated state of Mexican soccer.

"The twisted lines of Chepo" ... what´s most amazing about all this is that, despite everything, the Mexican national team still has a great chance of qualifying for the World Cup.

iøvrigt du har slet ikke kommenteret på NPATO´s finkulturelle indslag på den forgående side ! ;-)

hehe, jeg har skam set det - flere gange!

Der er i øvrigt god fodbold i morgen. Man snakker tit om de 3 store - Ronaldo, Messi og Abreu. Sidstnævnte skal spille mod Colon. Desuden tager Olimpia imod Motagua i tegucigalpa. Det skal nok blive sjovt.