Brazil’s football setup is in a state of dysfunction, activist filmmaker Kely Nascimento argued, pointing to a lack of transparency and accountability in the sport’s leadership as a key factor behind the national team’s struggles on the biggest stage.
Speaking in an interview, the eldest daughter of former Brazil great Pele said the problem goes far beyond results, describing the wider environment as closed off and resistant to change. “Brazilian football is broken,” Nascimento said. “Whether it is corruption … it’s like a sealed, very incestuous ecosystem where no one can see inside, and everybody knows why it is not working, but nobody can fix it.”
She added that Brazil’s pipeline of talent remains a major strength, with plenty of high-level players emerging. However, she argued that the team’s difficulties internationally reflect deeper structural issues rather than a shortage of ability.
Brazil were sent home from this year’s World Cup after a 2-1 loss to Norway on Sunday. The defeat marked the first time the team has failed to reach the quarter-finals since 1990. Brazil’s last appearance in the knockout rounds came with their record fifth World Cup title in 2002.
Nascimento said Pele had raised concerns for years about the state of Brazilian football, and she contrasted Brazil’s current decline with the progress she believes other footballing nations have made. In particular, she highlighted France, saying it has appeared to build more effective systems.
Despite her criticism of the broader structure, Nascimento pointed to one encouraging trend: a revival of traditional clubs driven by investment from abroad. She cited Botafogo’s resurgence under U.S. businessman John Textor as an example.
Textor, she noted, gained a controlling stake in the Rio de Janeiro club in 2022 and has since guided a steady turnaround for a former Brazilian champion. While Nascimento acknowledged that there has been plenty of debate around how the businessman runs the club, she suggested the changes also bring benefits.
“There’s a lot of criticism about how he’s handling it, but, again, there’s good and bad to everything,” Nascimento said. “What he’s also bringing is transparency … he has accountability to a foreign body. To me, that’s a positive, regardless of everything he’s being blamed for.”
