Interview with saulo neiva
Saulo Neiva is a professor at the Université Blaise Pascal in Clermont Ferrand, France. He grew up in Brazil but moved to France twenty three years ago. Since he lived in Brazil and abroad, Saulo offers both the perspective of an insider and an outsider when it comes to Brazilians soccer. The interview was translated from Portuguese to English.
How did soccer impact your childhood in Brazil? Were you, your friends, and family interested in the sport? When I was a child, soccer was basically the only sport we (me and my friends) played constantly as a hobby. We did have other activities we enjoyed, such as other sports we played in school, like handball and volleyball, and other hobbies such as riding our bicycles. Yet still, regardless of if you were together with your friends, neighbors, or cousins, soccer was always the sport most boys used to play. Girls, on the other hand, played dodgeball. Do you think people in general (society, friends, and family) already expected you, as a growing boy, to develop an interest in soccer? If yes, why? There was an important sociocultural factor that influenced us boys growing up, of course. It was considered "natural" for all boys to like soccer and enjoy watching soccer matches. This wasn't extremely present in my family, however. My brothers did play, but were not active fans of any soccer team. My parents weren't as well. My family was never excited about watching soccer championships, while I observed that the families of my friends and neighbors watched soccer games and tournaments actively. While my brothers did practice soccer as a hobby, there was no "obsession" for certain soccer teams, as was seen in many other boys our age. The only exception was during the World Cup. We all got incredibly excited. I vividly remember passionately watching the World Cup in 1970, for example. In broader terms, what do you have to say about soccer's impact in the Brazilian culture? For a long period of time, many Brazilian teenagers of lower social classes aimed to play soccer professionally, since this would allow for their "integration" into society and allow them to be part of a higher socioeconomic status. Of course, this was only actually achieved by those who had a lot of talent and worked hard. Soccer was created in Great Britain among the higher social classes, but in Brazil it meant something else entirely. It meant a way for children and teenagers of lower classes to integrate themselves into society and a higher level of economic status. This might seem unlikely and it might seem like I am referring to dreams boys usually grow up with, that is, the one of becoming a soccer player. Yet in Brazil, many of the professional players in state soccer teams, for example, were originally from lower socioeconomic status. As an adult, after I lived in the United States and in France, I finally realized that there was nothing inherently "natural" or "inevitable" about playing soccer. I became aware of a new variety of sports that are usually present in children's lives. Nowadays, I might play soccer sometimes and even watch a few games, but I find that the "obsession" most fans share for their teams makes no sense. In addition, I condemn the violent fights that usually take place between fans of different teams due to such obsession. You lived in Brazil while it was being governed by a military regime. What is your opinion about soccer during this period of time? During the World Cup that took place in 1970 (while Brazil was governed by a military regime), it was clear that the government was trying to develop a very patriotic sentiment from fans by using the national soccer team. The ruler at the time, Médici, was able to successfully use the team's success and transform it into a patriotic and nationalistic sentiment to be spread across the population. He did this while at the same time torturing and imprisoning any opponents to his regime. What was your opinion on Brazil volunteering to host the World Cup? What did you think about the anti-World Cup and anti-government protests that took place before the tournament? I thought that Brazil was wrong to consider hosting the World Cup as a priority, especially due to its economic conditions. I believe I was correct, since construction costs (stadiums, roads, etc) exceeded what was expected by high amounts, especially due to the corruption practices very common in Brazil. On the other hand, many people expected worst incidents to take place during the World Cup, especially during the protests that preceded them. This wasn't the case at all, however. With regard to the popular revolt seen in the street, I divided those protesting into two groups: those who were angry about the recent increase in bus fare that had taken place and about the huge discrepancies between the expected and actual amounts of money spent on stadiums, and those who took the streets to protest against "corruption" in a very vague manner. To me, those are the ones who "went with the flow" and decided to protest, when, in fact, many of them practice numerous "acts of corruption" everyday or were the ones that put the corrupt politicians in office! I found it even worst to see some corrupt politicians in these protests, demanding an end to corruption! What is your opinion on the fact that Brazil is known as "the country of soccer" in different countries across the world? What do you think this means? Is that how Brazil is known in France? I believe this is a stereotype, however it is a statement that carries some truth with it. With the phrase "the country of soccer", we refer to the importance Brazilians attribute to soccer on a daily basis, the international success of Brazil's national soccer team, and to the existence of incredible Brazilian soccer players in the history of soccer, such as Pelé and Ronaldo. On the other hand, while the statement "the country of soccer" the country of soccer says a lot about Brazil, it also omits a lot. People start to believe Brazil is only "the country of soccer", which is not the case. In France, slowly Brazil's image as "the country of soccer" is forgotten, especially since France won the World Cup in 1998. |