[JP]

Tiers - S�rie A, S�rie B & S�rie C (made up of sixteen divisions).

Cup competitions - Copa do Brasil.

Other competitions - State Championships.

Overview.

Traditionally Brazil is a hotbed of footballing talent and passion and this is well represented in Football Manager 2007 with players possessing fantastic technical attributes from a young age even in the lower levels. Mental and physical attributes don�t measure up quite as well unfortunately but a decent training regime should see your promising youth players turn into world-beaters on a fairly regular basis. This is a definite bonus as money is tight at the vast majority of Brazilian clubs and even if you manage to build up your bank balance you�ll only be able attract players from other South American nations as a general rule. Playing in Brazil will test you tactically as the AI managers use a wide range of formations and playing styles.

In terms of recommended clubs anyone should be able to take the bigger clubs (Internacional, S�o Paulo, Corinthians, Santos and Vasco da Gama) to glory relatively easily, while guiding any of the smaller S�rie C clubs towards success is a much tougher prospect.

S�rie A.

Brazil�s top division consists of 20 clubs who play each other twice between early-May and early-December. Squads must contain no more than three foriegn players all of whom may be named in a match day squad which allows for seven substitutes (three of which may be used).

Domestic transfers may be conducted between the 1st of January and the last Saturday in September while any foriegn transfer deal must take place in either the January or August window.

Points are awarded in the standard way (3 for a win, 1 for a draw) with tied teams being split based on the following criteria:

* Matches won
* Goal difference
* Goals scored
* Head to head results

At the end of the season the bottom four teams are automatically relegated to S�rie B.

Any player being shown either three yellow cards or a single red card will suffer a one match ban.

S�rie B.

The second tier of Brazilian football is also made up of 20 clubs who each play one another twice, however the season finishes at the end of November a week earlier than S�rie A.

S�rie B�s top four clubs are promoted to S�rie A without the need for any play-offs while the bottom four clubs simply drop into S�rie C.

Aside from these minor points the division operates in exactly the same way as S�rie A.

S�rie C.

S�rie C works somewhat differently from the other divisions as teams are split into sixteen groups. Each club plays the other teams in its group twice between late-June and mid-September. The top two clubs in each group then advance to the Second Round while the bottom two clubs from each group are relegated. All the other rules regarding separating tied teams, transfer windows, squads and discipline are the same as they are in S�rie A and S�rie B.

The Second Round of S�rie C is a two-legged knock-out competition with both legs being played within a few days of each other. Away goals are used to decide matches that are still tied after 90 minutes of the second-leg. The winners of the Second Round progress to the Third Round which follows the same format. The winners of the Third Round then qualify for the Final Stage.

The Final Stage group comprises eight clubs who play each other twice. The rules for this mini-league follow those of S�rie A and S�rie B. At the end of the tournament the clubs finishing first through to fourth are promoted to S�rie B.

Copa do Brasil.

The Copa do Brasil sees 64 clubs play a two-legged cup competition which starts in February. The first two rounds give first-leg home advantage to the team from the lowest division. Away goals decide any ties still level after 90 minutes of the second-leg.

The remaining rounds (Third Round, Quarter-Final, Semi-Final and the Final) are also staged over two-legs but lower division sides are no longer guaranteed to play at home in the first-leg.

The rules regarding player discipline and squads are exactly the same as those for the league competitions.

State Championships.

The Brazilian State Championships are regional tournaments that are used to gain local bragging rights, determine the qualifiers for the Copa do Brasil and to decide which non-league clubs will gain promotion to S�rie C. Clubs from all divisions take part in the tournaments which have a range of formats, some of which are frankly, a little strange. Here are two examples�

The Acre State Championship is a straight forward, league style competition in which six teams play each other twice. The standard Brazilian league rules govern the tournament and the team finishing top is crowned Acre State Champion. The team finishing bottom after their fifteen matches is relegated.

The Santa Catarina State Championship on the other hand is a little more complex, but it is by no means the most complicated of the tournaments. The tournament starts with two group stages, both consisting of six teams, where each team plays the other teams in its group twice. Once these fixtures have been completed the top two teams in each group progress to the semi-finals, while the bottom team in each group is relegated. The Semi-Finals are played over two-legs with away goals deciding any matches still tied after 90 minutes of the second-leg. The winners of these matches obviously qualify for the Final which is played using the same format. Standard Brazilian league rules are employed throughout the tournament.

[Millie]

Just started a career in Brazil (Frank made me), and I've been flicking through some of the team histories. Some teams are listed as finishing 71st, 16th and all manner of places in Division 3 (S�rie C). Question is, does the game order where they finish based on their record and group position, or is this just how the database lists the records. For example, if I finish 4th in my group this season and my record is something like the 30th best out of the S�rie C teams, will I get my final position rated as 30th? Or will I just get a bog-standard "4th".

This looks like a great place to manage. I've just started my career and got a few points on the Sergipano State Championship board. Can't afford anyone and my scouts are useless, but otherwise entertaining because you're forced to give the youngsters a run out - and the youth are awesome! I'm also playing a formation I would never have considered playing in the past simply because of a lack of wingers - and so far it's not doing too badly (though I can't see my quick-tempo style lasting very long when the summer kicks in...).

I'd recomend this to anyone.

[JP]

[quote name='Millie]Just started a career in Brazil (Frank made me)' date=' and I've been flicking through some of the team histories. Some teams are listed as finishing 71st, 16th and all manner of places in Division 3 (S�rie C). Question is, does the game order where they finish based on their record and group position, or is this just how the database lists the records. For example, if I finish 4th in my group this season and my record is something like the 30th best out of the S�rie C teams, will I get my final position rated as 30th? Or will I just get a bog-standard "4th".[/quote']

Not sure. Partly that would depend on how far back the 71st position was. South American leagues have had many, many different formats over the years. For example, one year one of the nations changed it's format towards the end of the season as it looked like one of the big name sides was going to get relegated (imagine if the FA had done that when ManU dropped a division...) and another country had a season lasting almost two years for some bizarre reason.

[Millie]

Well, having checked Soccerway's Brazil results for the past three years, I'm not entirely sure FM have got the Brazilian league's format completely correct in Serie C anyway.

Guess I'll find out the answer to my question at the end of the season, eh?

Cheers JP.

[robey12]

Won't matter pretty soon, the Brazilian divisions will be changed for the 2009 game since a fourth division was added in April that was a split from the third division. The fourth division being added ended the play off style all together.

[leandrobr]

[quote name='robey12]Won't matter pretty soon' date=' the Brazilian divisions will be changed for the 2009 game since a fourth division was added in April that was a split from the third division. The fourth division being added ended the play off style all together.[/quote']

That's true. CBF (brazilian federation) have announced that the third division will have 20 teams and the same structure of Series A and B. The 4 relegated teams of Serie B in 2008 and the 5th to 20th placed teams on Serie C will remain on 2009 Serie C Division. The Serie D will have 40 teams, qualified via regional competitions (the state championships).

About the injury problems: in the past, Braziliam teams did not have the best training facilities, and it really affected the physical side of players. When they went to Europe, they could improve it and become world-class players. Nowadays, the Brazilian top teams have upgraded their training facilities, some of them becoming recognized world wide (e.g. S�o Paulo and Palmeiras). This obviously impacted a lot on the physics of players, and we have significantly less problems with injuries. I hope SI will consider it in next versions.