Player, politician, top hat, not necessarily in that order.
José Maria Marin, killed on Sunday (20) at the age of 93, even occupied until the post of governor of the richest state of the federation, but his image was more tied to his sports career, which was almost always political.
As one of the pioneers of boxing in the country, Marin took his first steps in football with the shirt of São Paulo FC, her heart club with which she maintained good relationships throughout her life.
He played only 20 games for the tricolor team between 1950 and 1952 and, even though it was no more than a regular right-wing that embittered the reserve for a long time, scored five goals for the team. According to the “Almanac do Sao Paulo”, he won 12 wins, four draws and four losses for the club.
Following even the advice of the experienced Vicente Feola, champion coach with the Brazilian team in the 1958 World Cup, Marin reconciled his studies with football activities. It was a way of securing his future outside football, since he didn’t have enough talent to play even in smaller teams, such as Jabaquara, Santos, and Sao Bento, from Marília, clubs he also defended.
He attended the traditional Faculty of Law of Largo de São Francisco and became a lawyer in 1955, which became an important step towards its beginning in the political career.
Having as an electoral stronghold the São Paulo neighborhood of Santo Amaro, he was launched as a candidate for councilor with the help of some friends, notably Armando da Silva Prado Netto, owner of Gazeta de Santo Amaro and helped fund Marin’s campaign.
Elected councilor in 1963, the then former player obtained the presidency of the São Paulo City Council in 1969, when the military dictatorship was imposed on the country. He would become a state deputy for the Arena (national renewing alliance) in the 70’s and gain a certain prominence with haranged speeches against the left. It was linked to the most radical wing of the military government and connections with surveillance and repression bodies.
The death of journalist and communist Vladimir Herzog, arrested and murdered by Doi-Codi just 16 days after two Marin’s acid speeches against TV Cultura in October 1975, became a major mark in the leader’s political trajectory, which said TV Cultura programs caused “uneasiness” in the homes of Sao Paulo.
Still in the midst of the military dictatorship, Marin assumed the presidency of the Paulista Federation in 1982, staying at the post until 1988. It was because of this position that he even served as head of the delegation that represented Brazil in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.
If in politics Marin took advantage of Paulo Maluf’s deputy in the São Paulo government to reach power (ten months ahead of the state of São Paulo), in the Brazilian Football Confederation Cartola has profited by being Ricardo Teixeira’s oldest deputy. It was less than two months to turn 80 when he took control of national football.
And he took over in 2012 not only the CBF but but also the 2014 World Cup organizing committee. Thus left the oysterism of many years to hold a prominent post in sports and national politics.
He made a protocol staff between his allies Teixeira and Marco Polo Del Nero, who, as president of the Paulista Football and Cartola Federation well related to FIFA and Conmebol, gave Marin full support.
In his management ahead of the maximum Brazilian football entity, the São Paulo top hat recovered Luiz Felipe Scolari to the position of coach of the national team. It also bet on Carlos Alberto Parreira as coordinator of the coaching staff that would have the responsibility to lead the national team at home in the 2014 World Cup.
Contrary to the opinions and evidence that Tetra and Penta technicians were outdated, Marin bet on their experience and the nationalist speech to the World Cup, refuting experiences and innovations, such as the hiring of a foreign coach (research pointed out that the consecrated Spanish coach Josep Guardiola, available and avided by the Brazilian team, was the favorite of the population).
The title of the Confederations Cup in 2013 gave a year of peace of mind to the summit of Brazilian football, but the selection of the national team in the World Cup, especially because of the greatest rout ever suffered by the team at all times [7 a 1 para a Alemanha]opened the backwardness of national football in many ways.
In the same assembly that pointed out Del Nero as Marin’s successor at CBF, for example, it was defined that the new headquarters of the maximum Brazilian football entity in Rio de Janeiro would take the name of José Maria Marin.
Cartola took over the CBF in March 2012 less than two months after taking office of a medal of Corinthians player Mateus, champion of the Sao Paulo Junior Cup. The controversial scene, caught on television, was Marin’s most celebrated appearance in a long time.
When Teixeira (amid FIFA’s investigation that ISL’s bribes were paid to the leader) resigned to the CBF command alleging health problems, Marin ascended at the entity without a new election.
His past linked to the dictatorship was then revived by the media, especially because his nationalist and conservative speech became again present.
After the end of the dictatorship, Marin lost a lot of political space, failing in a resounding way in elections for the São Paulo City Hall and the Senate. His only political success during this period was when he helped coordinate Jânio Quadros’s victorious campaign to the São Paulo city hall in 1985.
Marin was affiliated with several right -wing parties and knew how to stay in power or close to him in both politics and sports. With a keen opportunism, he was able to be a successful player off the field.
Phrases
“… causes a great strangeness when the press agencies of our state [São Paulo] I’ve been raising this problem for a long time [ausência da TV Cultura na cobertura de eventos da Arena e produção de material jornalístico crítico por parte do canal]asking for arrangements to the competent bodies with what is happening in channel 2 [TV Cultura].”
“It is no longer a matter of disseminating what is good and failing to disseminate what is bad, it is a great uneasiness that is already taking over everyone in Sao Paulo.”
“A simple examination of this problem is enough to find that not only journalists have been preaching only negative facts, you see nothing positive, presenting misery, having problems, and without even presenting solutions.”
“I want to appeal to the governor. The journalist is wrong or the journalist is right, what cannot last is this omission, both by the Secretary of Culture of the State as well as the governor. It takes more than ever a measure so that tranquility will reign not only in this house again [Câmara] but especially in the São Paulo homes. “
Steps of speech by the then parliamentary José Maria Marin uttered in 1975 just 16 days before the death of journalist Vladimir Herzog of TV Cultura
