"Sometimes men should watch women play to learn"

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silvahopes that women’s football in Brazil stand out and repeat what was done by the men, five times world champion, when saying goodbye this Saturday to the Brazilian team that travels to Australia on Monday to play the world female of 2023.

“I hope that in a few years the women’s team will leave the United States, Germany and Canada behind… and that it can repeat what the men’s team has already done,” said the progressive leader during the team’s visit to training at the Mané stadium. Garrincha from Brasilia to prepare for Sunday’s friendly with Chile.

Lula affirmed that Brazilian soccer players can even anticipate and give Brazil a title that has eluded the men’s team since the 2002 World Cup. “There are some times when men should watch women play to learn, especially from women.” desire and willingness to play and to take the profession seriously,” he added.

Lula, a well-known fan, said he was a “fan of the growth of women’s soccer” and “dreamed that one day women’s soccer could fill the stadiums like men’s.” He admitted that this will still require a lot of outreach and convincing work so that society recognizes the value of women’s football, as well as investments, such as those that achieved the same recognition for women’s volleyball in Brazil as men’s.

The head of state insisted that he is witness to the fact that women’s soccer has evolved in Brazil and celebrated the decision of the Brazilian Soccer Confederation to force all professional teams with a men’s team to also have a women’s team. “They are gaining a lot of space and soon Brazil will recognize women’s soccer as a great sport in the country. Women’s volleyball has already achieved it. And in soccer it has to be like that,” he assured.

“I want to wish them that they have in Australia the possibility of realizing a dream that is to win a World Cup for Brazil. We already tried several times and it didn’t work out. But life is like that, we don’t win when we want to but when we are ready,” he said.

Emotional hug to Pia Sundhage and Marta

Lula, who effusively greeted both the national team coach, the Swedish Pia Sundhage, and the attacker Marta, six times chosen as the best in the world by FIFA and who will play her sixth World Cup, attended the training session accompanied by his wife, Janja , and by several of its ministers, such as Sports, Ana Moser, Racial Equality, Aniele Franco, and Women, Cida Gonçalves.

Both Lula and Janja received personalized shirts from the CBF, Ednaldo Rodrigues, as well as one of the unprecedented black shirts, stamped with the name of Vinicius Júnior, which Brazil wore in a friendly last month in an act of protest against racism in football.

Brazil will go to the Women’s World Cup that begins on July 20 in Australia and New Zealand led by two of its three top scorers: Marta, author of 119 goals (17 of which in World Cups), and Debinha, who has 57 goals.

read also