Sombre season for Samba

Brazil, a nation whose name is synonymous with football, is in mourning – submerged in a flood of tears that shows no sign of receding. And, for once, this hasn’t got as much to do with concerns over Pele’s deteriorating health, as it has to do with yet another premature exit of its beloved national football team. It’s an outfit that the 82-year-old legend adorned with such grace and finesse in his heyday. While Pele is showing signs of recovery at a clinic in Sao Paulo, much to the relief and joy of his football-crazed compatriots, the same can’t be said of Selecao that has once again flattered to deceive at the ongoing Fifa World Cup in Qatar.

A team that was once renowned for making heads turn wherever it went is now in the unenviable position of seeing the heads of its bigwigs roll. It all started with the departure of its manager Tite who left in a tearing hurry in the aftermath of the national tragedy that befell with its penalty shootout loss to Croatia in the quarter-finals. Expect a few more heads to be on the chopping block in the days to come. Some, such as talismanic striker Neymar, have opted for early retirement, struggling to cope with the baneful effects of a gut-wrenching defeat that had ruthlessly laid waste to its hopes of winning a sixth World Cup and the first since 2002.

The severity of this latest setback was evident when the 30-year-old, who drew level with Pele’s goal-scoring record for the national team in the same match, wept inconsolably after the final whistle was blown and his team-mates shared his anguish on a tearjerker of a night for Brazil. Neymar could’ve been forgiven for thinking that his spectacular goal had all but extended his team’s stay at the tournament, but it became amply evident that his love of the sport was unrequited when it queered his pitch at the most inopportune of moments.

Barring a smattering of jubilant Croatian fans, who were jumping for joy at their team’s accomplishment, there was not a dry eye in the house. It was a night when the beautiful game, a phrase coined by the Brazilians themselves, thrust a dagger into their collective hearts. The scenes were reminiscent of what transpired in Belo Horizonte in 2014 when the Samba boys were at the receiving end of a humiliating 7-1 mauling at the hands of Germany in the semi-finals.

Outside of its own country, Brazil is every neutral’s favourite and commands a huge fan following that can be traced back to the 50s when its period of dominance began. It prides itself on a rich legacy of footwork and swaggers its way into every global tournament accompanied by the tag of perennial favourite. Such is the reputation it enjoys that it evokes a certain sense of dread and awe in its opponents who could only dream of equalling, leave alone surpassing, the surfeit of records it possesses.

But the last two decades have strayed from the intended path of success – with the Brazilian Football Confederation, the governing body for football in Brazil, seemingly using up all its options in the vain pursuit of winning more laurels. With the dawn of a new era now looking imminent, it’s up to the powers that be to ensure that the national team and success, who have been like two estranged partners, not seeing eye to eye, are reunited at the earliest.