Arthur Elias: Women’s World Cup in Brazil a reward after bias | OneFootball

Brazil, where women’s football was banned by law between 1941 and 1979, will be the first South American country to host the tournament. In an interview given this Sunday, during the launch of the Women’s World Cup brand in Rio de Janeiro, the coach of the Brazilian National Team, Arthur Elias, expressed confidence in the level of the Brazilian team.

“I think it’s a reward for a continent that is passionate about football. South America is a people who love football and who, for a long time, discriminated against and excluded women from football. And for some time now, in recent years, there has been greater investment. Here in Brazil, many actions have been taken, clubs are investing, the CBF, the championships at an increasingly higher level. I am sure we are going to have a great World Cup both on and off the field,” he said.

The former Corinthians coach also commented on the difference in the level of the Brazilian team and the powerhouses of women’s football, such as the United States and Germany.

“In terms of high-level competitions, we have gotten closer to the main centers. Now, when we talk about the development of women’s football, the whole process with more access, more girls having the opportunity to have well-guided training at their clubs from an early age, that is still lacking. I believe the World Cup can accelerate this development,” he analyzed.

“We don’t want to copy anyone. What we want is to play football our way, Brazil knows very well how to play football. Today the National Team has a playing identity and we want to pursue that on the field as well,” he added.

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World Champions?

Arthur Elias also highlighted the opportunity to win the Women’s World Cup for the first time in the history of the Amarelinha while playing at home.

“We have a great chance, because the National Team is going through a great moment, we have young players who will improve even more by the time of the World Cup. We have a large number of players that I observed during this period and most of them responded very well. Of course, only one wins, only one is the champion and it’s very difficult, but also at home, with this atmosphere, I think we increase our chances and I am quite optimistic,” he stated.

“There is a huge margin for improvement. I think Brazil could have played better in most of the Copa América matches and we have already improved before, even after. We played great friendlies this year, beating the United States, Japan, Australia, England. We faced great teams and I think the team has evolved with consistency,” he added.

Although not participating as the spot in the World Cup is already guaranteed, the coach sees the new Conmebol Nations League in a positive light for the growth of South American football.

“For the development of South American football, it is a fundamental competition. We needed this. Many South American countries still need to invest more in women’s football, need to provide better conditions and, of course, when you have a competition that brings visibility, it gives more opportunities for growth,” he assessed.

Marta in the World Cup? Only time will tell

Regarding the presence of Marta, a reference and idol of women’s football, at the World Cup, Arthur Elias said he is counting on the player.

“I’m counting on her, I’m counting on all the players who are in a good moment, as Marta is, but not even she knows, nor do I. Only time will tell in the future,” he projected.

*With content from AFP

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.