Opinion – PVC: Games between Europeans and South Americans have been unequal since the Bosman Law

Jean Marc Bosman is to the Club World Cup what the steam engine is to the Industrial Revolution.

It was the victory of the mediocre Belgian midfielder in Justice, questioning why players faced nationality limits to work in European countries while architects, engineers, doctors and lawyers had no more borders, which ended the restriction of foreigners and transformed the football.

The court won Bosman’s case on December 15, 1995, two weeks after Ajax beat Gremio on penalties in the Intercontinental Cup final. On that day, South America had 20 world titles and Europe had only 14.

In the next two and a half decades, there were 22 European cups, between the Toyota Cup and the FIFA World Cup. For South Americans, only six.

Chelsea are favorites against Palmeiras, as they were against Corinthians nine years ago, as Liverpool were against Flamengo, even though they won in extra time. Club games were uneven. Much more than between selections.

I learned to speak Italian by reading and talking to a journalist named Marco Zunino. He would call from Milan and spend hours, in early 1996, asking about Brazilian players. “Mancino? Is he left-handed?” I read and even wrote articles for Guerin Sportivo magazine.

Two months after the Bosman sentence, the Bologna weekly predicted that football would change. It is not easy to understand the revolution at the beginning, unless there is a rupture.

In the early 1990s, there was already European supremacy, but clubs could only have three foreigners. São Paulo crushed Barcelona 2-1 in the 1992 final. Barça was a Spanish team, completed by Dutch Ronald Koeman, Dane Michael Laudrup and Bulgarian Stoitchkov.

The following year, he suffered more and beat Milan 3-2, a goal by Muller in the 41st minute of the second half. In 1995, Grêmio made the extraordinary Ajax sweat to win on penalties. Then, in 25 years, only six heroic South American teams – Boca Juniors (2000 and 2003), Corinthians (2000 and 2012), São Paulo (2005) and Internacional (2006).

Palmeiras can beat Chelsea, but it’s not logic. It will be a strategy game and different from the semifinal against Al Ahly. With the Egyptians, Abel Ferreira had the challenge of opening spaces in a closed defense. He showed tactical versatility. He circled the ball in 62% of the first half’s actions, with quick passing, and made nine of his ten tackles in attack.

Stealing the ball closer to the area increases the chance of scoring, as in Dudu’s pass to Raphael Veiga, after Zé Rafael’s tackle.

The final against Chelsea will have a portrait more similar to what happened in Montevideo, against Flamengo. Palmeiras will retreat from the sides, with Marcos Rocha and Scarpa, will close a line of five defenders and four midfielders. He will bet on the certainty of passes and speed of counterattacks.

Chelsea were the first team in the world to play with eleven foreigners. It happened in December 1999, a month after Palmeiras lost the Intercontinental Cup to Manchester United. Football was changing. Even today, two and a half decades later, many people do not understand why South America lagged behind.

The Industrial Revolution began in England, the digital one in the United States and the football revolution in western Europe. The only antidote is cultural reform in Brazilian teams.

The victory of Palmeiras is possible. It will not be easy.