Brazilian Turn in Belarusian Football

Few have noticed that Belarus and Brazil are expanding their cooperation in the field of football.

Alexander Apeykin
21.08.2024

Recently, world football stars visited Minsk, and a match took place between the Belarusian team “Uni X Labs” and the youth team of Brazilian football academies.

Unfortunately, recent matches of the Belarusian national team and the performances of clubs in European cups have brought a lot of disappointment, although recent matches of “Dinamo” and “Neman” have somewhat balanced the situation. Nonetheless, it is clear that Belarusian football has significantly declined in recent years.

At the joint press conference, from the Belarusian side, Alexander Baravlia, Deputy Minister of Sport, and Dzmitry Baskau participated. It is noteworthy that the Belarusian Football Federation was practically not involved in the football event held in Minsk.

From the Brazilian side, football superstars Romário, Edmilson, and Kuranyi were present. By the way, Mr. Romário is not only a former football star but also a politician (he is a senator and a former Minister of Sport). Also present at the press conference was the Ambassador of Brazil to Belarus, Paulo Fernando Dias Feres.

Theses on possible cooperation between the two countries in football were announced.
Romário said:
It is very pleasant to be in Belarus today. I would like to thank our ambassador who invited us to this country. I want to say how important it is for me to be part of this event.
Following him, Dzmitry Saksonau, General Director of the Blockchain Sport Ecosystem project, spoke:
There will definitely be a match between Belarusian and Brazilian legends. I think it will be in the fall because that’s when our project is going global. In September, there will be a series of bright events in Brazil. Of course, we plan an event with global football legends in Minsk. And this will be one of the most striking events in Belarus overall.

Brazilian-German Kevin Kuranyi also spoke:

…I am aware that the level of play in your country has slightly declined, but this only confirms the fact that we need to work together to lift it (the level) again.

The football festival was formally tied to the match of the second league team “Uni X Labs.” The club is a pilot project of the Blockchain Sports Football academy in Belarus. The academy is known for its innovative technologies using advanced tech developed by the Belarusian IT company X-Labs Inc.
The football carnival in the capital of Belarus was very interesting. Just to get autographs, there was a queue of several thousand people.

The European Union and European football clubs are cautious about collaborating with Belarusian football due to sanctions. However, BRICS countries, including the leading football country Brazil, are easily open to contact. The trend towards cooperation with Brazil has already led to contracts with young Brazilian stars, and there is talk of using Brazilian coaching school experience.
At the Dinamo Minsk base, three young Brazilian players arrived: 19-year-old forward Marcelo Barbosa Junior and his 18-year-old colleague Robison Catali Filho. Also joining is defender Marcio Alessandro Seriano from the football club Itumbiara, which competes in the top league of Goiás state and the “C” series of the Brazilian Championship. Along with the players, former Dinamo player Edu, who oversees a football school in Brazil, is also arriving. It has become known that through the mediation of Blockchain Sports Football, several more Brazilians are joining Belarusian football clubs.