11 goals

Organized by journalist Fernando Molica, 11 GOLS DE PLACA (11 GOALS ON PLACE), the third volume of the Investigative Journalism Collection, an initiative of Editora Record and Abraji (Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism), features a selection of key reports that help explain many of the ills of our soccer. The selected texts seek to provide a panorama of what goes on behind the scenes and offer a snapshot of the sport since the 1960s, with reports by João Máximo and Michel Laurence revealing the difficulty of realizing the dream of becoming a star in this so-called "soccer country," which open the book and serve as the foundation for the following chapters. Reading the articles transcribed in the book is an emotional journey and sheds light on problems that have been accumulating for many decades. A selection that mixes corruption, poverty, unemployment, document forgery, abuse of power, and exploitation of minors. 11 GOLS DE PLACA is a kind of yellow card for managers and all those who take advantage of Brazilian football. Football reveals the best and worst of us. As journalist Paulo Vinicius Coelho, who wrote the book's blurb, points out, the sports section is a breeding ground for great journalists and encompasses all types of reporting – a club election or a team crisis can generate good stories on politics or the economy, while a star player's injury and an interview with the team doctor result in interesting health stories. Brazilian football is also rich in crime stories. In the pages of Brazil's leading newspapers, the Nike and CBF Parliamentary Commissions of Inquiries (CPIs) emerged in the early 2000s. The same footballing country produced three refereeing scandals in an eight-year period, from Alberto Dualib's '1-0-0' in 1997 to the Edílson Pereira de Carvalho case in 2005. This last case, written by André Rizek, is one of those chosen in this brilliant work by Fernando Molica. As in the other two volumes of the collection – 10 Reports that Shook the Dictatorship and 50 Years of Crimes –, the reports are enriched by accounts and commentaries that detail the behind-the-scenes investigations, produced by journalists involved in covering the cases and editing them, such as Marcos Penido and Juca Kfouri, among other leading lights of sports journalism. These supporting texts contextualize the facts and explain how the professionals managed to reach important revelations. In 11 GOLS DE PLACA, there will be plenty of opportunities for boos—for officials, managers, and referees—and applause. The latter, especially for the athletes who shine in the newsrooms.