The life of the average Brazilian player, even at the top level, "is far from easy," according to James Young of SOCCER GODS. The financial crisis in the game "is so great, debt-ridden clubs are going cap in hand to the government to restructure their massive outstanding tax bills." The country’s "most popular team, Flamengo," is $290M in the red. The direness of the situation "has an obvious knock on effect on players, who are often paid months late, if at all." In October, "it was reported that no fewer than eight major teams, including Santos, São Paulo, Corinthians and Atlético Mineiro, were unable to pay their players." The crisis at recently relegated Botafogo "is so serious that players took the field in July carrying a banner explaining their plight." It read, “We’re only here because we’re professionals, and for you, the fans,” before listing the money that they were owed by the club. Five months of image rights payments and three months’ wages and FGTS (an unemployment/retirement fund) "had gone unpaid." Atlético Mineiro’s Brazil int'l Diego Tardelli said “some things at the club aren’t good enough … the directors don’t keep their word.” He is considering a move to China, where diminished chances with the Seleçao "would be offset a payday in the millions." Hope may have emerged for Brazil’s lower division players in '13 "with the emergence of the Bom Senso FC (“Common Sense FC”) organization -- a players’ union that seeks better working conditions and improved financial responsibility on the part of the clubs." As well as demanding that wages are paid on time, Bom Senso "wants changes made" to the Brazilian football calendar, a longer pre-season and the creation of a fifth division to ensure fewer players are out of work in the year’s second half. While the feudal barons at the Brazilian football association, the CBF, have been generally dismissive of Bom Senso, the country’s president, Dilma Rousseff, "is known to be sympathetic." She "has already met with representatives to discuss their concerns" (SOCCER GODS, 12/9).
