Inside Brazil's largest amateur football tournament
Inside Brazil's largest amateur football tournament
Learn about Peladão, an amateur football (soccer) tournament in Manaus, Brazil.
Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz
Transcript
NARRATOR: Manaus, the capital city of the Brazilian state Amazonas is home to the largest amateur football tournament in the world. Every year, pub teams come up against taxi drivers, office workers and maybe even the Brazilian air force. At the Peladão it's all about what you can bring to the game, not about where you come from. Rich meets poor - breaking social boundaries.
ARNALDO SANTOS: "Peladão is a form of liberation for the players. You don't know if you'll have enough to eat tomorrow, you're jobless, etc., but the moment you step onto the pitch, with the crowd cheering you on, your life finds some meaning. That's the secret power of this tournament. It unites the energies of the entire Amazonian population."
NARRATOR: 10,000 players fight it out to be the winners of the tournament. That's 450 teams and around 1,000 games. The most important man on the pitch, however, is a woman. The Peladão isn't just about men in shorts, but women in skirts, too, for flanking the football competition is a beauty pageant.
LIVIA DUARTE BRAGA: "I'm representing my team this evening and hope that I'll win. I'd do anything for the players, so I'm going to do my damnedest to be the best."
NARRATOR: The Peladão has been going since 1973. The pageant was added to the program some time afterwards and has meanwhile become just as important as the tournament itself. If the team's Miss goes on to the next round, they receive extra points. Should the team be eliminated from the tournament, their Miss can put them back in the competition.
DUARTE BRAGA: "I love the atmosphere here and I love football. I even play a bit myself on a Sunday and teach other women how to play. A kick about is always good fun and this is the best tournament in the world so maybe I'll even get a goal in."
NARRATOR: The rules of the tournament seem made up on the spot. In the preliminary round, the match lasts just 25 minutes and for the final, 40. The offside rule doesn't exist and penalties are taken 15 steps from the goal. The Peladão is Brazil's craziest football tournament.
SANTOS: "This is what makes Brazilian football so special. Our top players are often discovered here. Not playing on grass, no, they play on asphalt, on gravel and, most commonly, on the clay of our villages."
NARRATOR: A million miles from six-figure contracts and sponsors, this tournament, the largest tournament of its kind, is all about playing real, raw football.
ARNALDO SANTOS: "Peladão is a form of liberation for the players. You don't know if you'll have enough to eat tomorrow, you're jobless, etc., but the moment you step onto the pitch, with the crowd cheering you on, your life finds some meaning. That's the secret power of this tournament. It unites the energies of the entire Amazonian population."
NARRATOR: 10,000 players fight it out to be the winners of the tournament. That's 450 teams and around 1,000 games. The most important man on the pitch, however, is a woman. The Peladão isn't just about men in shorts, but women in skirts, too, for flanking the football competition is a beauty pageant.
LIVIA DUARTE BRAGA: "I'm representing my team this evening and hope that I'll win. I'd do anything for the players, so I'm going to do my damnedest to be the best."
NARRATOR: The Peladão has been going since 1973. The pageant was added to the program some time afterwards and has meanwhile become just as important as the tournament itself. If the team's Miss goes on to the next round, they receive extra points. Should the team be eliminated from the tournament, their Miss can put them back in the competition.
DUARTE BRAGA: "I love the atmosphere here and I love football. I even play a bit myself on a Sunday and teach other women how to play. A kick about is always good fun and this is the best tournament in the world so maybe I'll even get a goal in."
NARRATOR: The rules of the tournament seem made up on the spot. In the preliminary round, the match lasts just 25 minutes and for the final, 40. The offside rule doesn't exist and penalties are taken 15 steps from the goal. The Peladão is Brazil's craziest football tournament.
SANTOS: "This is what makes Brazilian football so special. Our top players are often discovered here. Not playing on grass, no, they play on asphalt, on gravel and, most commonly, on the clay of our villages."
NARRATOR: A million miles from six-figure contracts and sponsors, this tournament, the largest tournament of its kind, is all about playing real, raw football.