Neymar: The Man Who Should Be King

Sublime form in the past month has respected figures of the game already tipping the Brazilian winger to overtake Barça teammate Lionel Messi and Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo as the world’s greatest player whilst Premier League clubs queue up to capture his signature. However, a re-emergence of poor discipline and immaturity could now see him …

Tite’s turnaround

With a thumping 4-1 away win at second-placed Uruguay, Brazil’s miracle turnaround under Tite has seen them transform from qualification doubtfuls to top of their CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifying Group by seven points and among the favourites to be crowned champions in Russia next year.   12 June 2016: Still bearing the scars of their …

Fire in Paradise City

“I could only save myself and my kids” cried a mother to a national news reporter, as Ash Wednesday provided scenes of tragic irony in São Paulo’s second-largest favela when an unforgiving fire turned at least 50 barraco homes to dust and culminated in a heated property dispute that ran well into the early hours …

The Kids Aren’t Alright

Although Brazil has taken huge strides towards decreasing its staggering illiteracy rates, a dire public education system languishing in 60th place in the world rankings table severely lags behind that of its western counterparts. Simultaneously, such failings also have a direct effect on crime, inequality and the country’s overall growth and productivity.   While it …

Just the Beginning?

In the aftermath of a failed economic boom and far-reaching corruption scandals affecting state oil giant Petrobras among other enterprises , a cash-strapped Brazil unable to pay its police officers and guards in some states is losing grip of its streets and penitentiaries. Simultaneously, merciless drugs gangs once in cahoots have chosen to break a …