Brazil’s football system is broken, with a lack of transparency and accountability in its administration reflected in the national team’s performances, Kely Nascimento, activist filmmaker and eldest daughter of former Brazil great Pele, told Reuters in an interview.
“Brazilian football is broken. 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,” Nascimento said.
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She said the country’s wealth of talent continued to produce top players, but that their struggles on the international stage were symptomatic of deeper structural problems.
Brazil were eliminated from this year’s World Cup following a 2-1 defeat by Norway on Sunday, the first time they have failed to reach the quarter-finals since 1990. They won the last of their record five World Cups in 2002.