Pele’s daughter labels Brazilian football ‘broken’ following World Cup exit
Pele’s daughter, Kely Nascimento, has declared that Brazilian football is fundamentally broken following the national team’s earliest World Cup exit in 36 years.
The Selecao suffered a 2-1 defeat to Norway in the last-16 on Sunday, marking their first failure to reach the tournament’s quarter-finals since 1990.
Filmmaker and activist Nascimento believes the country’s sporting system is plagued by a profound lack of transparency and accountability.
“Brazilian football is broken,” Nascimento told Reuters.
“Whether it is corruption… it’s like a closed, very incestuous ecosystem where no one can see inside, and everybody knows why it is not working, but nobody can fix it.”
Systemic issues overshadow individual talent
Despite continuing to produce world-class players, the South American nation’s recent struggles on the international stage reflect deeper administrative failures.
The five-time champions last lifted the prestigious trophy in 2002, and legendary forward Pele had reportedly expressed similar concerns about this systemic decline before his passing.
Carlo Ancelotti’s squad failed to find a cohesive rhythm throughout the North American tournament despite progressing through their group.
Following an initial draw with Morocco, the highly-fancied side secured comfortable victories over Haiti and Scotland before requiring a stoppage-time winner to eliminate Japan in the last-32.
Haaland strikes to end Ancelotti’s hopes
Their disjointed campaign ultimately unravelled against the Norwegians, who were spearheaded by a lethal performance from Erling Haaland.
The Manchester City striker scored twice to ruthlessly expose defensive frailties and dump the pre-tournament favourites out of the competition.
However, amidst the despair, Nascimento highlighted the growing trend of foreign investment in domestic clubs as a potential catalyst for positive change.
She specifically referenced the revitalisation of Rio de Janeiro side Botafogo under American businessman John Textor since his 2022 takeover.
“What he’s also bringing is transparency… he has accountability to a foreign body,” Nascimento added.
“To me, that’s a positive, regardless of everything he’s being blamed for.”