In our first installment of Around the World In Women’s Soccer, Gwyn takes a look at the state of Women’s soccer in Brazil:

Debate exploded this summer during the Olympics when fans started crossing Neymar’s name off their jerseys and writing Marta’s instead. News outlets in Brazil and abroad deliberated the meaning behind these actions and their implication toward the Brazilian men’s team. In reality, it came down to the ease of Neymar jersey’s attainability, fan frustrations with the national federation, and a women’s team in fine form.

You could say that legitimate jerseys are somewhat of a rare commodity in Brazil, a knock off is only a block away. Whether in a street market or at a stall alone, these imitation male jerseys come as cheap as $3. Before the Olympics, the only way to get a Marta jersey would have been to pay for a legitimate one directly, which would cost somewhere upward of $90 while still likely to only come in the men’s cut. The average monthly Brazilian salary is around $600; a number marking just above or just below the cost of acceptable living depending on where you’re situated. Whilst it is possible to find imitations for as little as $3, customization, outside of what you can draw yourself, is not particularly an option provided. While it was undoubtedly also a statement, having readily available Neymar imitations where only the name had to be replaced helped. Add the Brazilian people’s frustration with the behavior of the CBF and their disappointment in their men’s recent performance, it was an easy way to show frustration and support at the same time.

Some fans however, meant it as a belittlement, a comparison illustrating that Neymar was playing so poorly that even a woman was more deserving of the number 10. Sexism is sadly still a prevalent reality of the women’s game in Brazil, so much so that clubs would sometimes choose to entirely fold their women’s team to keep a single player for their men’s side. When they are paid for their play, which isn’t always an assurance, they rarely make a living wage,and often have to rely on another job or two to survive. Familial acceptance isn’t always a given, as quite a few people in Brazil see it as a man’s beautiful game. As in much of the world, things are even harder for lesbian and bisexual players, especially those who aren’t conventionally feminine.

Whilst the women’s Brazilian national team has never been something to sneeze at, they have not particularly had the best support from their own federation. Women’s soccer was banned in Brazil between 1941 and 1979, as it was in quite a lot of the world. Still, they were one of the original national teams to compete in the very first women’s World Cup and their dominance in South American women’s soccer is unrivaled. They have won the Copa America every year since ’91, excluding ’06 when they came second to Argentina. They’ve also had moderate success in the Olympics, taking silver home in ’04 and ’08. Recently, they did hire their first female coach, Emily Lima, an alumni of the team’s early days. Lima also coaches the club side Sao Jose, who play for most of the year in one of the regional semi-professional leagues, and led them to second place in the closest thing Brazil has to a professional women’s league.

Brazil does not have a fully professional women’s league, or a traditional national league. They do have a yearly tournament league, referred to as Campeonato Brasileiro de Futebol Feminino. As of 2015, teams in the knockout round got all of $3000 to share between all players and staff, as well as transport and board during the tournament. The tournament runs for three months of the year, September to December, and contains 20 teams from around the country. There is also a national cup competition, Copa do Brasil de Futebol Feminino; it was established in 2007, at the request of then FIFA president Sepp Blatter. Consisting of 32 teams, the winner of this was traditionally made the Brazilian representative in Copa Libertadores Femenina, the South American Club championship. There are also various smaller regional leagues; generally at the recreational level.

There is little way to make a living in Brazil in women’s soccer, and about an equal chance of respect. Those Brazilian players who are lucky enough to be discovered generally go on to make their living abroad, and those who stay in Brazil gather at a few clubs whose men’s sides are large enough to subsidize their women’s sides without too much complaint or creating too much “burden” on fans of the male side. Currently, five of the current national squad play for Corinthians, another three for São José. Four others are spread to four other teams throughout Brazil. The rest of the team is spread across the globe. Four in the Chinese league, with another six everywhere from Israel to Australia. In the NWSL, Poliana and Andressinha play for the Houston Dash while Debinha was just recently signed by the WNY Flash.