Brazil’s German production line

Hope for national team may come from a club that is using the world champions as blueprint for future players.

Brazilian football is doing some soul-searching after the team’s 7-1 semi-final defeat to Germany. But salvation may lie in a blueprint inspired by the newly crowned world champions.

The country’s system of “Clube Empresas” or “business clubs” already has the goal of producing the best young players in order to make profit by selling them to bigger clubs.

But one of these, Audax – full name Gremio Osasco Audax Sao Paulo – has switched from a Brazilian style to a German style in order to target the European market.

And with young players having their education funded by the team, club president Vampeta – a World Cup winner with Brazil in 2002 – hopes it will mean a better future for children from poor backgrounds as well as for the national team.

Paul Rhys reports from Osasco in Sao Paulo.