Experimenting democracy within dictatorship
[photo=democraciar.JPG id=121 align=left]In the modern football, the clubs are rules as companies by their presidents. Some are elected by the associated supporters (like the socios of the big spanish clubs), which give the latter a definite power. On the other hand, the player are mere employees at the coach disposal.
At the beginning of the 80s, the Sport Club Corinthians Paulista was the theatre of an original system of management, maybe unique in recent history. Atílson Monteiro Alves, a sociologist and former university militant, was named at the head of the football department of the club at the end of 1981. It was him who in agreement with the players installed this system in which every single relevant decision would be voted among the players and staff. That included the type of training, the hour of the trainings, which should be the new contracts, and when should the team go on forced isolation (“concentrações"). This last habit was the first victim of the new system, as the players majoritarily preferred to be responsible for their own behaviour outside the team rather than being forced to isolation before important games.
The results came rather quickly, as the “democratic" Corinthians won two consecutive São Paulo championships in 1982 and 1983, offering their fans a remarkably creative game style. Moreover some players will embrace the new system totally, and with growing fame make of it the symbol of the new democratic aspiration of the brazilian people, when in those times the military in charge seemed to lose power(*). The most important of them will be the great (by the talent and the size) “Doctor" Socrates, named like that because of the medecine studies he attended before becoming a professional football player. The most visible sign of this commitment was the slogan “Democracía Corintiana" (Corinthian Democracy) which was voted to be written on the Corinthians shirts at this time.
In 1982, the military power made a first concession to the multiple democracy demands by the public: the organization of free elections for the governor of the state of São Paulo, on november 15th. The sign on the Corinthians shirt then changed to “Día 15, vote" (“on the 15th, vote!"), whereas the shirt of all brasilian teams were still free of any sponsoring.
[photo=diretas_socratesr.JPG id=121 align=right]A few months later, during the São Paulo 1983 championship final at the Morumbi (nicked “Morum-Bi" this day by the Fiel, as the Corinthians was the tenant), appeared in the stands the famous banner “Ganhar ou perder, mas sempre com a Democracía" (“Win or lose, but always with Democracy"). This banner will be carried around the field by the players at the end of the game.
Under heavy sollication by major european clubs (at a time when the flee of the best brazilian players was not yet perceived as a fatality), Sócrates made a promise in 1984: he would stay in Brazil if the congress would reestablish a direct system for the 1985 presidential elections. The national campaign for that was known as “Diretas Ja" (“Direct Elections, Now"). Unfortunately the manoeuver didn"t succeed and the “Doutor" signed with Fiorentina, where he spent two years.
In 1985, the “Democracía Corintiana" lost the intern elections within the club, which therefore returned to being a club “like the others". The 1985 presidential elections was held by the congress, as usual, but at the global surprise, the members answered positively to the people"s aspirations and elected the candidate of the opposition, Tancredo Neves. It is authorized to think that the Corinthians experience took his part in the lobby which lead to this event..
“Few Brazilians have the possibility to make studies and therefore to acquire notions of politics. We gave them this culture using the language of football." (Socrates).
(*) In 1980 the power was already shattered by a movement iniciated in the automobile industry in São Paulo, and led by a charismatic syndicalist leader named Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. It was that same person which became president of Brazil some 20 years later, and who has ever hidden his deep attachment to the SC Corinthians.
Recommended links:
Socrates card
All about Corinthians
Pictures taken at the time of our travel to Brazil
The special week of Corinthians in sambafoot.com:
MSI: the Corinthians" Russian connection
Roger, key to the revival
Carlos Alberto: giving my all for Corinthians
The Pacaembu Stadium
Corinthians: 95 years of passion
