SPORTS GOA: GOAN SPORTS FAN'S FAVOURITE!
Having gone about his work seemingly unnoticed away from the media glare for the past seven months in Goa, Brasil Futebol Academia CEO Glauco Moraes has been quietly studying Indian football at close quarters and planning for the future development of the academy to take it to even greater heights.
“In Brazil, the play is built up from the back, with wing backs regularly overlapping to put in dangerous crosses. When not in possession, Brazilian teams close down a lot quicker,” remarked Glauco.
BFA was started in 2009 by two Brazilian footballers who are no strangers to Indian football. Churchill Brothers midfielder Roberto Mendes Da Silva aka “Beto” and Mohun Bagan striker Jose Ramirez Barretto enlisted the administrative support of the former GFA general secretary Savio Messias to get their dream project on the road and Savio instantly obliged.
BFA are now in the process of yet another giant leap forward. By luring the services of the former Gremio Youth development manager they not only have an expert on supervising the coaches on the training ground, but also in the board room taking care of the other side of football which is not normally seen, such as player negotiations.
Glauco explains that the BFA has created two products. One is the academy which has trials to pick up talent, while the other is soccer classes for the younger age groups who can be absorbed into the Academy if they make the grade later.
Glauco started coaching at the ripe young age of twenty six. After suffering a serious knee injury which cut short his playing career, he headed back to college to pursue a degree in physical education. His first assignment was with Internacional which lasted about a month, before he started his sixteen year journey with the other big club in the south of Brazil, Gremio.
Gremio are famous for churning out the two-time Fifa world player of the year Ronaldinho, but Glauco is very modest about his role in his development. “Ronadinho joined the club at seven and was already fifteen by the time I arrived on the scene, although I have spent a considerable amount of time with Liverpool’s Lucas and Manchester United’s Anderson” remarked Glauco.
So are these multi million pound player’s who command staggering fees, natural born footballers or moulded by the academies? Glauco fires back, “Academies offer a structured programme which enhance the player’s strengths and highlight weakness, but the player’s who make it to the top are largely products of their own DNA as Brazil has a large exotic genetic mix.”
Glauco further enlightens, “In the olden day’s players were climbing tree’s and playing in large areas, but as playing fields are converted into plush storey high mansions academies play a larger a role in grooming the talent by introducing them to games such as futsal and physical training for agility.
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When talking about the coaching syllabus, Glauco points to BFA’s Coach cum manager Rafael Von Muhlen who joined the academy at the same time as Glauco and is responsible for setting the tasks for the eight grass roots coaches to follow.
“In football, a goal can be scored in an instant so our method is to encourage spontaneous and imaginative play rather than set specific targets,” reasoned Rafael summing up the Brazilian way of play.
written by ALDRID DA COSTA
FIRST PUBLISHED IN HERALD ON APRIL 23RD 2012.
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