Copa da Alemanha 2006: Brasil favorito absoluto

O Sunday Times reconheceu o favoritismo da seleção brasileira na Copa da Alemanha.

A crença na vitória do futebol brasileiro é tão grande que um dos desafios do Parreira é combater o otimismo exagerado lembrando os traumas de 50 e 82.

Brazilà€™s challenge, as set out by head coach Carlos Alberto Parreira, is to keep reminding themselves until June that they are not a separate class to everybody else. à€œIn our teamà€™s history,à€ said Parreira, à€œto go to a World Cup as favourites means we donà€™t win it.à€

De acordo com o jornal britânico, todos nossos adversários estão estudando todos os possíveis espaços deixados pelos veteranos Roberto Carlos e Cafú...

Against Venezuela they took risks and indulged themselves: witness Roberto Carlosà€™s back-heeled volley to Cafu before the scoring had opened. On evenings such as these, Brazilà€™s antique full-backs à€” Roberto Carlos and Cafu a combined 67 years old à€” are part of their thrill, galloping forward with barely a backward glance. By June every other team will have examined the spaces these two thoroughbreds leave behind them.

Mas o nosso calcanhar de aquiles parece ser mesmo a falta de um bom companheiro para o Lúcio.

There are uncertainties in the defence. At centre-half, Bayernà€™s Lucio finds himself looking for an established partner. Roque Junior, the Leverkusen defender, captained his country last weekend against Bolivia, with most of the first XI rested. Against Venezuela he was replaced by Juan. Neither are flawless, and any Leeds United follower who remembers Roque Juniorà€™s short spell at Elland Road will argue that a country that can pick Rio Ferdinand, Sol Campbell, John Terry and Jamie Carragher carries at least one edge over a side built on Roque.

Outro destaque do artigo é a inédita participação de brasileiros com novos passaportes em outras seleções que participam da Copa da Alemanha.

Portugal? Coached by Brazilà€™s Luis Felipe Scolari, their prospects are partly defined by Deco, born on the other side of the Atlantic, naturalised Portuguese. Spain? A poised Brazilian midfielder Marcos Senna, Spanish-qualified by residence, is offering himself to a grateful Spain coach, Luis Aragones.

Now look east. Japanà€™s Brazilian coach Zico will make Alessandro Santos (Alex), born in Sao Paolo, one of the first names in his squad. Clayton, another Brazilian, will play his third World Cup tournament for Tunisia. Mexico have already capped Zinha, a Brazilian working in their league, and may be tempted to grant a place to the teenager Giovani dos Santos, whose father is from Brazil. Thereà€™s more: Germanyà€™s centre-forward Kevin Kuranyi was born in Rio de Janeiro.

Tem tb uma história que eu não conhecia... Dos 3 brasileiros jogando na Alemanha que foram impedidos pela Fifa de participar da seleção do Qatar e dos que ajudaram a classificar a seleção do Togo.

None of them will harm the spectacle, although the fashion for a Brazilian transplant has threatened to become a dangerous epidemic. Last year Ailton, Dede and Leandro, three Brazilians operating in the Bundesliga, were offered seven-figure sums to make themselves available to Qatar, whose government would give them instant citizenship in time for their World Cup qualifiers.

None had any connection with the country. Fifa blocked the plan, though they were too late to bolt their door on the four Brazilians who acquired Togolese passports suddenly in 2003 and were selected by Togoà€™s then coach, the Brazilian Antonio Dumas, to represent the country. Only two of them, Alessandro Faria and Jefferson de Souza, took part early on in Togoà€™s remarkable qualifying run. They still have their Togolese passports, in case they get a recall. Theyà€™ll happily fly economy to Germany.