A bola que era redonda demais

afootballreport:

By Fernando Sell

The football season in Brazil normally begins in the second or third week of January and ends in early December. A Brazilian season practically lasts one year; it is packed with matches and tournaments.

Firstly, the State Championships take place which is where all the clubs of one state compete. The states in Brazil are huge and have many big clubs in them, for example, in the state of São Paulo the biggest clubs are: Corinthians, São Paulo, Palmeiras and Santos. The Championships runs across a period of three to four months, ending in late April or early May. The most popular ones are “Carioca” – State of Rio de Janeiro, “Paulista” – São Paulo, “Mineiro” - Minas Gerais and Gaúcho – Rio Grande do Sul.

The format of the Championships varies. Some have a normal league format, with clubs playing home and away fixtures, the 1st and 2nd place team playing in the final. Other Championships play one round of matches and then go into the knockout round.

I believe that the State Championships should cease. They make the big clubs sacrifice their pre-season because they play many games against smaller and weaker clubs. The level and quality of football is much lower and top teams don’t always take it seriously. Furthermore, the winning teams don’t benefit from their winning form; their performances in the national league are very different.

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