The paper presents a discussion on regional and national performance of the, of the Grêmio Football Club of Porto Alegre City in 1995-1997. The conquests of the club in this period generated remarks on the press regarding its style of playing soccer, and hence, of "being gaucho". On one hand, some considered the club a violent one; on the other, some considered its style nothing more than a proof of combative spirit. The question was how to fit the spirit of the club in the national framework, since it seemed to insult the "artistic soccer" that characterized brazilian soccer. If this discussion was at first circunscribed to the universe of soccer, it turned into a discussion on regional identities and old disputes between gauchos and the rest of brazilian people. This is one of the many national dilemma that can be worked out from the soccer. |
