Faith Matters - The Church Program

“Deus é Brasiliero”, they say in Brazil: God is Brazilian. And Brazilians are just as certain that their team will win the next World Cup. The world’s leading soccer nation has already won the title five times. But while the international media will focus on the final to be played in Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro in July, a different kind of game is quietly changing the city’s favelas: “social soccer.”

We report on a new method of socialisation – Treino Social – introduced by the German Football Association coach Sascha Bauer. And we throw a spotlight on one of Brazil’s most famous soccer NGOs: Bola Pra Frente. Inspired by his Christian faith, the former Brazilian soccer champion Jorginho, who also played for Bayern Munich, established the institute. We also visit the coach Franklin Ferreira in one of Rio’s most dangerous favelas. Similarly inspired by his faith, Ferreira has established his own social project there.

This report reveals a world, far removed from the glamour of the big stadiums, where soccer provides much more than the hope of a title: the opportunity of a better life.