Sport
Brazil’s Olympic football dream
Brazil’s Olympic football dream. With five World Cups and eight Copa Americas to their name Brazil are among the most decorated national teams in football, but there is one prize that has continued to elude them over the years. While most neutral sports fans will focus their attention on other events when the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro get under way this week, the Brazilian people are desperate for their country to claim its first ever gold medal in the men’s football tournament.
The Selecao have come very close on three occasions, finishing as runners-up in 1984, 1988 and 2012, while they also won bronze at the Games in Atlanta in 1996 and Beijing in 2008. The title has eluded them, though, and the strength of the squad they have selected for this month’s tournament – which begins on Thursday when Iraq take on Denmark in Group A – is evidence of how seriously they are taking it: Barcelona forward Neymar missed the Copa America Centenario in order to take part in the Olympics, with Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos and Lazio forward Felipe Anderson joining him in Brazil’s 18-man squad.
There are other reasons why the hosts are so keen to make an impact on the competition besides the desire to scratch their Olympic Gold itch. Two years have now passed but the pain of Brazil’s failure on home soil at the World Cup in 2014 has not yet subsided, with Germany’s 7-1 destruction of Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side in the semi-finals a defeat that will live long in the memory. Success this summer would not even come close to making up for that historic loss, but it would at least allow Brazilian fans to celebrate a tournament victory in their own country for the first time since their Copa America triumph in 1989.
The aforementioned Centenario edition of South America’s leading competition – which was held in the United States and featured six CONCACAF teams this year – was one to forget for Brazil, who will be fully aware that the only way they can put it behind them is by taking gold. Manager Dunga was dismissed after the Brazilians failed to make it out of a group containing Ecuador, Peru and Haiti; Corinthians boss Tite was named as his replacement in June, and although he will not take charge at the Olympics Brazil’s participating players will be aiming to impress the senior team’s latest coach ahead of the resumption of World Cup qualification in September.
When all of the above factors are considered together, it is not difficult to see why Brazil – with the strongest squad, home advantage and the biggest motivation – are widely considered overwhelming favourites to win the men’s football tournament this month. The Selecao failed to cope with the pressure in the World Cup two years ago, however, and should not take anything for granted when they kick-start their campaign against South Africa in Brasilia on Thursday. The nation’s first ever gold medal in this competition is in their sights but Brazil still have everything to lose.
