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MARCIO BRAGA

At a superficial glance, Brazilian football at the World Cup would be limited to the national team. However, it is the football clubs that promote the ongoing development of the players who represent the country in international competition, and therefore, the national team is only the tip of this vast iceberg. Hosting the 2014 World Cup, especially, will require even more from Brazil than just a competitive team. It will be necessary to focus efforts on a series of legislative, regulatory, economic, and structural interventions, not only, but particularly, in the stadiums.

Brazil will then have a network of modern, high-quality sports facilities that cannot become white elephants. Football clubs are responsible for the constant use of these stadiums, and therefore, a strategy must now be discussed so that the World Cup can serve as a catalyst for the development of Brazilian football, particularly the corporate, economic, and financial restructuring of the clubs, as well as the strengthening of the football production chain, which already accounts for 3% of Brazil's GDP.

The moment has never been more propitious for structural changes in the way Brazilian football is organized and administered. President Lula, with the unique sensitivity of a passionate fan, has been a great encourager. The Legislature, for its part, is currently discussing a bill that amends the Pelé Law and aims to protect athletes in development and their training clubs; clearly and objectively regulate the employment relationship between clubs and their players; and allocate lottery funds to clubs that train Olympic athletes.

At the same time, the Club of 13 created a working group to study measures capable of improving the clubs' financial health, using as a reference the licensing system implemented by UEFA, whose example has already been endorsed by FIFA, which recently asked associations to do something similar. The work will be coordinated by another passionate fan and one of the country's most brilliant economists, Professor Luiz Gonzaga Belluzzo, president of Palmeiras, who will be joined by representatives from Corinthians, São Paulo, Grêmio, Vasco, and Flamengo.

Furthermore, motivated by President Lula's appeal, the national football governing body (CBF) and other sectors of society involved in the issue have begun a debate on the necessary changes to improve the calendar of Brazilian competitions, aiming to fully leverage their market potential and in light of the current international calendar. This, in addition to enhancing the value of our competitions, could allow Brazilian clubs to explore other sources of revenue generation abroad. Flamengo, for example, should be able to play Real Madrid, instead of being forced to play Real Potosí at an altitude of 4.000 meters, as is currently the case.

This isn't the first time the Executive and Legislative branches have discussed measures to restructure the sector, but it is the first time the State and society have made a joint effort to reflect on structural changes. We must export our spectacle, not our players. Therefore, we must seize this moment to discuss and implement programs to support the development of the football production chain, through the facilitation of public and private investments that contribute to its densification and the modernization of fan services, generating more jobs, more income, and more joy.

\ MARCIO BRAGA is president of Flamengo \