Soccer or football has been played more than three millenniums in various countries all around the globe. Chinese first played it during Han Dynasty, they were followed by Egyptians, Japanese, Greeks, Mexicans and Central Americans, British, Scottish, Italians, Eskimos, Native American Indians, and so on. Most countries had adopted it because of its popularity like most of the countries in Europe and some countries in South America like Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil.
There is a long history of soccer in many nations. However, British, mainly in England, did provide the largest contribution. In 1815, Eton College in England did set rules for the games because soccer was associated with rugby football not until 1863 when these two sports decided to part ways since there are difference in set of rules (Top End Sports). From this year moving forward, soccer has been spread out in the Americas and Europe because of various immigrations caused by trades and plantations for the developments of new found lands.
Immigrations were not easy in Brazil in 1500s till the 19th century because Portuguese, who discovered the nation, prohibited many nations to enter. However, Britain did help the King of Portuguese to escape to Brazil during Napoleon’s reign in 1808. After this event, the king did allow immigrations mainly from Europe to Brazil. Most of the people in Brazil was from immigration. In 1880s, many people around the globe did enter Brazil to find jobs and improved Brazil in economy (Amaral and Fusco).
English immigrations also occur in the 19th to Brazil. Brazil did build the first Brazilian soccer club in 1888 wherein the club mainly consist of Englishmen. This club was formed in Sao Paulo, a province in Brazil (History of Soccer). In 1894, Charles William Miller, an Englishman had brought football equipment and a rules book to spread the correct way of playing the game in Sao Paulo (Bluker). Without the help of British people in helping the king of Portugal, there wasn’t any migration happened in Brazil from any other parts of Europe nor any part of the globe.
Britain and Scotland have many clubs of soccer. They also made a match as the first international match of soccer. However, Federation International de Football Association (FIFA) was established in 1904 with delegates of European countries from France, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland (Top End Sports). This impacted Brazil as well because many Europeans had immigrated to Brazil twenty years earlier. In 1880 till 1903, an approximate of 1.9 million Europeans, mainly from Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany, and other nations of Europe (Amaral and Fusco). There are many who wants to watch matches because of its popularity to these Europeans. Brazil also was able to adopt this sport from the immigrants.
Not only Brazil was able to adopt the sport in South America but also Argentina and Uruguay. In 1930, FIFA had held their first world cup tournament in Uruguay. Brazil did make their first appearance in this world cup but was eliminated in first stages. Europeans were really introducing the games to the South Americans back then (History of Soccer.Org). Thanks to British sailors who brought the idea to these South American nations (History of Soccer).
The birth of soccer in Brazil was able to grow because of the first world cup they joined. This made the soccer so famous to Brazilians that they make it like a habit. Soccer was added to their favorites. They have some list of regular activities like samba, the nighttime melodramas, movies, and the famous soccer. It was further nourished by a Brazilian leader Getulio Vargas. He had a great contribution in implementing these things across Brazil in almost everyone. The people became united because of these things. And Vargas get some recognitions because of implementing these things (Meade 213). Soccer was and still the best recreation activity in Brazil. Because of daily implementation of Vargas to soccer activity, it is now being played in Brazil regularly. However, somebody believed that there are hidden agenda in implementing soccer during his era.
Getulio Vargas made a revolution in 1930 that lead him to victory gaining the title interim President of Brazil. He was both a reformer and dictator. During his era, he made Brazil an industrial and urban development model that made many urbanized cities in the South-east regions. He made a lot of reforms that changed the freedom of people. He featured a centralized and authoritarian government that showed populist and nationalist tendencies. This leads to unionization and industrialization of Brazil (Soul Brasileiro).
Vargas was there to represent the common people as a populist. He passed the New Constitution of 1934 that has articles on individual rights, women’s right to vote, social security, minimum wage, abolition of death penalty, separation of the three powers (legislative, judicial and executive), direct elections to presidents, and five-year mandate. However, when his position was threatened, he declared martial law. He ensured power to himself and preventing any publications of media (Soul Brasileiro). During the martial law, Vargas still practiced populism during the martial law in which he used soccer to gain and uphold the dictatorship that he had. He focused on the enjoyment of his people to get their will. His fascism was inspired by the Europeans who used soccer with their leadership (Murray 64).
On the other hand, there are some objectives of Vargas using soccer that we should appreciate. Samba and carnival are part of culture in Brazil. Vargas added soccer with these two as their daily pastime. He sought to use soccer as a way of unifying the nation, his people, creating a common source of identity, and to develop a single national culture. Different race in a nation can be difficult to handle. It has been discussed that many immigrants around the globe did go to Brazil in the 19th century up to present. This lead to many divisions. Vargas did used soccer to remove the ‘racist’ effect from everybody. He founded the National Council of Sports as a part of the Ministry of Education and Culture to solidify the culture of soccer and to prove to neighboring South American countries that Brazil will be superior in soccer. Lastly, before the end of his regime, he also assisted and supported the Rio Club, Flamingo to help soccer’s growth in the country (Meade 204). There was no surprise that many Brazilians loved him. He left the presidency after World War II but won a democratic vote on his second term as president.
Brazil’s culture and history are too colorful. It’s like their carnival, full of colors. It was brought by many races that went to Brazil. Many had shaped its culture. The Englishmen did bring the soccer which made the people more joyful than ever. Because of the fame of soccer in the European countries, it was loved by the people of Europe whom then migrated to Brazil to start their future. After the establishment of FIFA, race from Europe, Asia, Native Brazilian, and many other race did join forces to enjoy to play this sport with other nation. This is what Getulio Vargas believed in, soccer can make other races to come together to become united and establish as one nation. He wasn’t wrong, the effect of soccer did make them superior even hosting the last FIFA, and building a wonderful stadium of football. This is what passion can do.
Work Cited
Amaral, Ernesto Friedrich and Wilson Fusco. Shaping Brazil: The Role of International Migration. Migration Policy Institute. 1 June, 2005. Web. 28 November, 2014. <http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/shaping-brazil-role-international-migration>
History of Soccer. History Of Soccer. Geno Jezek. 2013. Web, 28 November, 2014. <http://www.historyofsoccer.info/>
History of Soccer.Org. The History of Soccer in Brazil. Site Build It. n.d. Web. 28 November, 2014. <http://www.history-of-soccer.org/history-of-soccer-in-brazil.html>
McCarthy, Tony. A Miller’s Tale: The story of how a British sport arrived in Brazil. ©John R. Mills. Bluker. n.d. Web. 28 November, 2014. <http://www.bluker.com/rtbrazil/spac.html>
Meade, Teresa A. A Brief History of Brazil. New York USA: Infobase Publishing, 2004. Print.
Murray, Bill. The World’s Game: A History of Soccer. Illinois, USA: University of Illinois. First Paperback Edition, 1998. Print.
Soul Brasileiro. Vargas, JK, Quadros and Jango (1930 – 1964). n.d. Web. 28 November, 2014 <http://soulbrasileiro.com/main/brazil/brazilian-history/4-vargas-jk-quadros-and-jango-1930-1964/vargas-jk-quadros-e-jango-1930-1964/>
Topend Sports. A Football History: from its origin to now. Topend Sports Network. 28 November, 2014. Web. 28 November, 2014. <http://www.topendsports.com/sport/soccer/history.htm>
