Neymar Dazzles and the Movement Mushrooms

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks

Neymar has ignited Brazil and his spectacular performance thus far in the Confederation Cup has been instrumental in Brazil getting to the semi-final where they will likely play Uruguay. The other semi-finalists will be Spain and Italy and that sets up a Brazil vs Spain final to conclude the Confederation Cup, the precursor to the World Cup to be held in Brazil in 2014.



As Neymar and his compatriots dazzle on the field, the protest movement of millions of Brazilians is sending a clear message to the government that expenditures on stadiums should not come at the expense of people’s lives. The government inastutely raised the cost of mass transportation and the protest movement has forced a rollback in those price increases. To stem the rising tide, the President of Brazil in an address to the nation has promised greater expenditures on health and education. The government’s belated wakeup call might not be sufficient to stem the mushrooming unrest.

Scolari’s squad has been triumphant playing at home and even though Neymar has come of age in the tournament, the Brazilian World Cup team has a long road to travel to return to the top of the heap in world soccer. The back four of Daniel Alves, Thiago Silva, David Luiz and Marcelo were impregnable until David Luiz in the Italy game had to leave the field injured. Dante, the Bayern Munich central defender does not cover as much ground as David Luiz and the two goals by Italy were scored when he replaced David Luiz.

With Marcelo, Scolari has a dilemma. Marcelo has great offensive skills as a left fall back and combines well with Neymar. But on counter-attacks, he leaves gaping holes in the Brazilian left flank. One of the defensive mid-fielders will have to plug that hole.



Against Italy, Scolari brought in Hermanes for the injured Paulinho. Hernanes has played well for Lazio in Serie A but he is yet to show up while representing the national team. Against Italy he was missing in action. Fred, as a striker, displayed his attributes against Italy but Hulk is yet to impress. Oscar played for Brazil in the 2012 Olympics, then joined Chelsea for the 2012-2013 EPL season and is now playing in the Confederation Cup. He has not been effective as Oscar must be in need of a rest.

Scolari made a grave mistake by not selecting Ramires who like Paulinho can run up and down the pitch until the cows come home. Scolari’s Brazilian national team still needs some tinkering and will be truly tested if they play Spain, the World Cup defenders, in the final of the Confederation Cup.



Neymar and most of the Brazilian squad have come out in support of the widespread demonstrations. The Confederation Cup represents Neymar’s showcasing his talent on the world stage. In the fall, he will join the great Messi in Barcelona. The two together will produce for the years to come highlight reels that will be immortalized on YouTube for the ages.

Scolari Hears the Boos

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks



The Brazilian Football Federation has changed horses in mid-stream. They have fired Mano Menezes and replaced him with “Big Phil” Scolari. Since the second coming of Scolari, the Brazilian national team has not made much of a dramatic turn around. The Selecao possesses an abundance of talent but the molding of a great team has just not occurred. The Confederation Cup will be a test as to what this Scolari aggregation is capable of achieving.

At the end of the friendly with Chile that was drawn 2-2, the disappointed Brazilian fans, 50,000 strong, booed the poor performance of the team. As a result, Scolari in the Confederation Cup has opted to go with the young, the promising and the untested. In the Confederation aggregation, there is no Kaka, no Robinho, and no Ronaldinho. And even though Chelsea’s Ramires is in the bloom of his career, he was not included.

All signs pointed to Neymar being signed by Barcelona and making his departure from Brazil. Neymar, from whom much is expected in 2014, has been roughed up not by his opponents but by the fans at Santos and in Brazil in general. Scolari has been encouraging Neymar to play abroad and to develop his full potential. Santos recognizes that the timing is right and if they waited another year, Neymar would have been out of contract and they would have received no compensation for his departure.



World Cup teams need new stars to emerge and establish their credentials on the world stage. Bernard, Ronaldinho’s team-mate at Athletico Mineiro, is designated as a rising star. Often designated stars flop on the international stage like Ganso. But Neymar is no Atlas and cannot single-handedly carry Brazil to another notch in 2014.

Scolari is in the spotlight. Time is of the essence and if he “bombs” in the Confederation Cup, then the boos will not only be directed at the players but at the new manager. Scolari is a long way from covered with glory.