Gilberto: “We demand better conditions”
February 11, 2014
Gilberto has written an article for The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/feb/10/brazil-football-gilberto-silva-common-sense-fc
“Footballers in Brazil earn an average of £350 a month. More than 1,000 have formed a union to protest against their low pay and poor working conditions.”
The ‘ultras‘ in Brazil are a step up in size and ferocity that dwarfs those in England and Italy. If a player misses a penalty in the Brazilian Championship that costs his team a game, death threats are a routine part of the game.
The movement has been praised by players, but some writers have criticised the union as “selfish” because some footballers are paid so much. Gilberto counters that only 1% of players are paid significantly more than the minimum wage in Brazil.
In addition to this, Gilberto can hardly be called ‘selfish’. He will be playing in the Brazilian league for only two more years realistically. He has little to gain from such a union; he simply wants to see an improvement in safety and conditions for future players.
Any progress he manages to effect will surely see the standard of players from Brazil improve; an outcome that fans from across the world will benefit from.