Kely Nascimento, activist filmmaker and eldest daughter of Brazilian football legend Pele, has blamed the country’s football decline on what she described as a broken system plagued by poor transparency and weak accountability.
Speaking in an interview with Reuters, Nascimento said the problems within Brazilian football go far beyond results on the pitch, arguing that the struggles of the national team reflect deeper issues in the way the game is run in the country.
According to her, Brazilian football operates within a closed system that has become difficult to scrutinise from the outside, even though many within the game understand why it is no longer functioning as it should. She said the situation has left the sport stuck in a cycle where the problems are obvious, but meaningful solutions remain out of reach.
Nascimento noted that Brazil still produces an abundance of gifted footballers, but said the presence of talent alone has not been enough to mask the wider failures in administration and structure. In her view, the national team’s recent struggles are a direct symptom of those unresolved problems.
Brazil’s latest World Cup campaign ended in disappointment after a 2-1 defeat to Norway on Sunday, a result that saw the five-time world champions miss out on the quarter-finals for the first time since 1990. The country’s last World Cup triumph came in 2002.
She revealed that her late father had long been worried about the direction of Brazilian football and often spoke about the flaws in the system. Nascimento said the contrast between Brazil and countries such as France has become more obvious over time, with other football nations appearing to have built stronger and more effective structures.
Still, she pointed to one development she believes offers a measure of hope, highlighting the revival of some traditional clubs through foreign investment. She referenced Botafogo’s resurgence under American businessman John Textor, who acquired a controlling stake in the Rio de Janeiro club in 2022 and has since overseen a steady improvement in the club’s fortunes.
Nascimento acknowledged that Textor’s leadership has attracted criticism, but said his involvement has at least introduced a level of openness and responsibility that she considers valuable. For her, the fact that he is answerable to an external structure brings a form of accountability that has been missing in Brazilian football for too long.
