Three times-in-a-row Brazilian champions São Paulo are our 19th team of the decade.
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Amazingly, the 2009 Brazilian championship season had four teams in with a realistic chance of
winning the title on the last day and if São Paulo had made won, they would have made it four in a
row.
Pará, Zé Eduardo, Madson and Paulo Henrique strike a familiar pose for title favourites
Santos
The State tournaments are over and now the real test is about to begin with the start of
Brazil's national league: the Campeonato Brasileiro.
Exciting and intriguing, bizarre and imperfect, the Brasileirão makes for a fascinating
blend.
Brazilian football had an exciting Wednesday evening. In the Libertadores, Sao Paulo played
colombian Once Caldas in a bustling Morumbi stadium and beat them by 1x0 with a gol from
Fernandinho. The brazilian squad's coach Ricardo Gomes is coming under strict criticism by most
fans for not having Washington in the starting 11, and was forced to put up with frequent insults
from the fans last night.
The Copa Libertadores has concluded its round of 16 stage and "Stoppage Time International
Football Blog" highlights the events of a compelling and, at times, controversial first knockout
round:
The first games were completed on Tuesday night and there was one upset and one near upset as
big boys from Argentina and Brazil struggled against teams from Mexico and Peru respectively.
Avaí knock in six on the opening day
The Brazilian championship kicked off on Saturday. With the exception of the games at the
Engenhão and the Ressacada, the opening round was relatively short of goals by Brazilian
standards.
With nearly half the league's 20 teams set to play important matches in either the Libertadores
or the Copa do Brasil midweek, it came as no surprise that many sides fielded a number of the
reserves.
It's sad to see the season finishing off, it's almost as if you've ended a long relationship with a
lover which has had it's ups and downs. And although European leagues are finishing off, there are
the attractions of the MLS, and the Brazilian Championship which are beginning, but it just doesn't
feel the same.
Corinthians are leading the way in the Brasileiro (Brazilian championship) after five games
leading by two points from nearest challengers Ceará. The Timão have only dropped two
points from their first five games and kept up their near perfect start to the campaign at the
weekend with a 4-2 home defeat of São Paulo city rivals Santos FC.
Finally the Emperor has returned. Adriano has gone to AS Roma on a free transfer from Flamengo,
the Empreror has arrived in the capital, but will it be a smart move by Roma? Adriano's contract is
said to be worth around 5 million euros a season (plus performance-related bonuses) and it will
expire on June 30th 2013.
Two massive stars in the Serie A could leave Italy this summer, Ronaldinho and Balotelli may not
be the best players in the world, but they're important for the league and it's status. While
Ronaldinho is 30 years old, he's still got the magic, he still creates wonderful assists and is
slowly scoring more goals for AC Milan.
Today the Brazilian Football Federation, CBF, announced Brazil's new coach: Fluminese's Muricy
Ramalho.
Ramalho, 54, has the responsibility of renewing Seleção to get it ready for World Cup
2014 (to be held in Brazil), and he is more than capable of doing so. Muricy has an amazing record
with São Paulo, winning the 2006, 2007 and 2008 Brazilian Championship and has won the best coach
award from 2005 to 2008, in Brazil.
The 2006 Copa Libertadores final saw Internacional beat São Paulo. Will the same outcome occur
in this year's semi-finals?
Following the exit of Estudiantes de La Plata from the competition at the quarter-final stage
the Copa Libertadores will have a new champion this year. In the semi-finals there will be an
all-Brazil affair ensuring that the country supplies a finalist in the tournament for the sixth
consecutive year.
Fluminense celebrate in Porto Alegre
A 2-1 win away at strugglers Grêmio kept Fluminense on top of the Brazilian championship. The
defeat cost Grêmio manager Silas his job. But it's so far so good for Muricy Ramalho who last
month was forced to turn down the chance of coaching Brazil. Flu faced relegation for most of last
season and Ramalho has done a remarkable job of turning things round at the
Laranjeiras.
Today Sport Club Corinthians, one of the most popular teams in Brazil (falling short only behind
Flamengo), turns 100 years old.
It is great to celebrate a century of a team so important and so proud to so many hearts (mine
included). The team we love so much was born September 1st, 1910 by a group of workers from Bom
Retiro (a São Paulo neighborhood).
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It's all about footballing rivalries for this week's matches. There is no love lost between
Manchester United and Liverpool or between the fans of Schalke and Dortmund as they face each other
in the Ruhr derby.
It seems to be true. Well, at least if you only include Europe and the Arab football leagues.
Brazil has lost its post as the world's greatest footballer factory to all-time rivals Argentina:
according to a report from sports marketing consultants Euroamericas, it has replaced Brazil as the
country exporting the most professional players.
Corinthians started the weekend as league leaders in the Campeonato Brasileiro but
ended it in second place. O Timão were involved in a thrilling encounter with this year's
Copa Libertadores (South American Champions League) winners Internacional whose victory allowed
Fluminense to leapfrog Corinthians into first place.
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It's all about footballing rivalries for this week's matches. There is no love lost between
Manchester United and Liverpool or between the fans of Schalke and Dortmund as they face each other
in the Ruhr derby.
It is one of the ancient battles of sport, the struggle between talent and the ravages of time.
And it's being fought out as the Brazilian Championship reaches a thrilling finale.
With eight rounds to go - and at least four clubs still in contention - one of the big questions
is this: Can he really do it again?
Can Ronaldo prove us wrong again?
It is one of the ancient battles of sport, the struggle between talent and the ravages of time.
And it's being fought out as the Brazilian Championship reaches a thrilling finale.
With eight rounds to go and at least four clubs still in contention one of the big questions is
this: Can he really do it again?
Well, a true legend of the game deserves to have his birthday celebrated by all. Pele has turned 70
today (Oct. 23rd 2010), and we have decided to wish him a happy birthday!
Pele played for only two clubs in his career, and he's best known for his achievements with the
Brazilian National team.
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This week's main report is all about football in Brazil. There are only two games remaining in
this season's championship (Campeonato Brasileiro) and so on this week's show we talk to our
Brazilian football expert, Marcelo, to give us his opinions on the run-in to the Brazilian
title.
Tottenham, Colorado, Barcelona, Samuel Eto'o and Luis Suarez all feature in the Good the Bad and
Ugly review section of the show, while we also try to predict whowill come out on top in some of
the big games in our weekly predictions . We also have a report on the exciting climax of the
Brazilian Championship with an interview with our Brazilian football expert Marcelo.
Brazilian Championship or "Brasileirão", as it is better known, approaches its end after the
36th round with league leaders Fluminense carrying a meagre 60% overall performance so far. Can it
be identified as a sign of balance or a proof that the league itself is far poorer technically than
it could be?
With a little and very loose tie-in to El Clásico
The author likes this organization and the soccer it represents...
if you've read anything I've written about soccer, you know I like Brazilian soccer, the
Brazilian national soccer teams, and lots of Brazilian players. But there are Brazilians I
don't like, or who I think are overrated, or both.
For much of Sunday in Rio de Janeiro, televisions in bars and restaurants were all showing the
massive operation of security forces and their invasion of the Alemao group of favelas. By late
afternoon, though, they had switched to coverage of the penultimate round of the Brazilian
Championship. Viewers were transfixed by both.
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil The captain of the Flamengo team that won the Brazilian championship in 2009
has been found guilty of kidnapping his former lover and trying to force her to abort the child she
claimed he'd fathered, officials said Tuesday. Bruno Fernandes — known in the football world just
as Bruno [.
Why the end of this year's Brazilian Championship was so unsatisfying
The Brazilian Championship ended Sunday. I'd love to be able to write a gushing post about what
a great end the tournament had. Unfortunately, people in power in Brazilian soccer (and my stubborn
insistence on knowing things and not forgetting them) ruined it for me.
On this week's podcast we feature the exciting run-in to the Brazilian Championship. Remember on
this week's show you can also:
Listen only to the main report here complete with transcript and vocabulary Check out a new
football expression in English for Football Learners of English can review the footballing news
from around the world in our good, the bad and the ugly section of the show For learners of English
check out our Football Language Resources page with: A page with all our Football vocabulary posts
Football glossary (a huge collection of football vocabulary, football cliches and football phrases)
Worksheets and transcripts from previous podcasts
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