Brazil’s greatest footballing tragedy a testament to structural racism

When one thinks of Brazil’s biggest sporting tragedies, the mind immediately wanders to the 2014 World Cup semifinals, when the national football team was destroyed by champions-in-waiting Germany, seven goals to one, in front of their home fans. However, the defeat pales in comparison to the significance of a loss suffered 70 years ago today, when Brazil saw the World Cup trophy slip through its fingers in front of almost 200,000 fans in Rio de Janeiro.

The “Maracanazo” of 1950 — when Brazil lost 2-1 to Uruguay and saw their tiny neighbors from the south crowned world champions at their expense — became a source of huge national shame, with the widespread excitement around the national football team giving way to defeatism and even self-hatred. In fact, the fallout even took on racial overtones, as the press and fans turned on Brazil’s three black players, creating certain prejudices that persist in the national game until today.

The bigger they come, the harder they fall

The importance of Brazil’s loss in the 1950 World Cup was magnified by the fact that the team were the absolute favorites to win the trophy. The traditional European footballing powers were still in a period of reconstruction after World War II, while reigning champions Italy had seen the spine of their team perish in the Superga air disaster of 1949. Brazil were hosting the tournament and they already seemed to have one hand on the cup.

Brazil strolled through the tournament, qualifying for the final stage and needing a simple draw in the final match against Uruguay to win their first-ever world championship. The certainty of victory was such that the press was already hailing Brazil world champions on the morning of the game, and Rio de Janeiro Mayor Ângelo Mendes de Moraes gave an extremely confident speech to the team before kick-off.

“You Brazilians, who I consider as winners of the tournament … Who in less than two hours will be acclaimed as champions by millions of your compatriots … You have no equal in this hemisphere, you are superior to any opponent, you who I already address as conquerors.”

The gods of football, however, had something else in mind. Though Brazil controlled the majority of the game, taking a 1-0 lead, they gradually started to relax and allowed openings for their Uruguayan visitors. With 66 minutes on the clock, the unthinkable happened: Uruguayan winger Alcides Ghiggia tore down the right flank and cut the ball across goal for center-forward Juan Alberto Schiaffino to shoot high into the net. 1-1.

The...