How can a country that is hosting the World Cup have no sponsor for its top flight?

After a nine-year hiatus, fans of Brazilian women’s shot volition erstwhile again beryllium capable to enactment their clubs successful the Copa bash Brasil. The cupful volition bring unneurotic 65 clubs from the 3 divisions of the nationalist women’s shot league, starting with a preliminary circular connected 21 May and concluding with the last successful November. It is simply a instrumentality that has agelong been requested by the women’s shot assemblage successful Brazil successful bid to grow the calendar for lower-division clubs and gives high-profile teams specified arsenic Flamengo, Corinthians and Santos different accidental to vie for silverware.

However, each is not rosy connected the Brazilian nine country lone 2 years earlier Brazil are to big the Women’s World Cup for the archetypal time. There person been a fewer years of increasing sponsorship and visibility successful the apical tier, the Brasileirão A1, but this play has exposed the challenges facing the game.

Now approaching its 10th circular of matches, not each Brasileirão games are broadcast by the TV rights holder, Globo. For immoderate games the location squad are allowed to watercourse them online but, contempt this, respective games person not been broadcast. The lack of sponsorship boards astir the transportation and during subordinate interviews item further difficulties. Last play the league had 3 main sponsors: Betano, Neoenergia and Binance. However, those contracts were not renewed and alternatively determination are present messages against racism and gender-based violence.

In aboriginal April the sports quality website GE reported that the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) was hopeful of securing new, improved sponsorship deals earlier the extremity of the archetypal stage. Yet with lone 5 rounds remaining earlier the knockout signifier determination person been nary authoritative updates. The CBF president, Ednaldo Rodrigues, has said that the offers it has received truthful acold had been excessively debased and accepting them would devalue the competition.

Tamires of RB Bragantino connected the determination successful a lucifer against Corinthians earlier this year. Photograph: Rodilei Morais /FotoArena/Alamy

“We bash not disregard those who were our sponsors successful the past but shot needs much and much concern – particularly the women’s game,” helium said astatine a property conference. “Sometimes radical spot women’s shot arsenic a load but the CBF sees it arsenic the shot of the future, a shot that requires investment. So if determination are brands that worth women, we volition spouse with them.

“But that does not mean, necessarily, that a declaration that has expired volition beryllium automatically renewed. We volition ever prosecute what is champion for the organisation and that indispensable mean accrued value. Our erstwhile deals started smaller and yet became outdated.”

The erstwhile Brazil midfielder Formiga precocious voiced her astonishment and choler that the apical formation inactive does not person a main sponsor. Talking astatine the motorboat of the Women’s Cup, a tourney to beryllium hosted successful Brazil successful July featuring São Paulo, Palmeiras, Racing Louisville (of the United States), and Pachuca (Mexico), she said: “How tin we big the World Cup and inactive not person a sponsorship successful our main nationalist league? It’s hard to accept. Those liable for signing these deals request to realise that adjacent tiny investments tin marque a immense quality successful women’s football. We can’t unrecorded disconnected scraps but immoderate enactment we get tin alteration the lives of galore girls. We indispensable instrumentality work for the aboriginal of the game.”

Sponsorship successful women’s shot is captious not lone for fiscal reasons but besides for demonstrating the worth of the contention and expanding its scope – which tin pull further investment. In Brazil, a palmy illustration is the Paulistão Feminino, the São Paulo authorities championship. While the nationalist league presently has nary sponsors, the Paulistão this week announced a grounds fig of sponsors: 7 successful total, 2 much than past year, with the federation investing much than R$8m (£1.05m).

The instrumentality of the Copa bash Brasil is simply a affirmative measurement towards strengthening women’s shot successful Brazil, but it indispensable beryllium executed successful the close way. Clubs, peculiarly those successful the little divisions, request much matches connected the calendar – but they besides necessitate enactment and visibility for existent advancement to beryllium achieved.

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