THE FIRST WOMEN'S WORLD CUP IN CHINA

The memoirs of journalist Claudia Silva, the only Brazilian to cover the tournament

Frame with the official logo of the Experimental Tournament. (1988/1988) by Museu do FutebolThe Football Museum

THE TOURNAMENT

The 1988 Experimental Tournament was the first women's championship recognised by FIFA. Although club championships and friendly international tournaments already existed, they were not supported by FIFA.

The World Cup took place in China, in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangzhou province – the country's third largest city. Held in June of that year, the event was attended by 12 countries from all the continental confederations.

List of players called up. (1988/1988) by Marco Antonio CavalcantiThe Football Museum

THE BRAZIL TEAM HEADS TO CHINA

The Brazilian team was composed, in its majority, by athletes who played in the Radar (RJ), Juventus (SP) and Brahma (BA) teams. Their introduction took place during the interval of a Fla-Flu [Flamengo vs Fluminense] game, at Maracanã Stadium. The great excitement contrasted with the difficulties that would be faced later.

The lack of support was such that the athletes competed in the tournament wearing the men's team kit. They had to make adjustments themselves to improve the fit. As if that were not enough, each player washed her own uniform in the showers, and used improvised shin pads made of cardboard.

Brazilian national team posed. (1988/1988) by Rights ReservedThe Football Museum

REAL-TIME COVERAGE BY A BRAZILIAN

Coverage of the tournament for the Brazilian press was entrusted to Claudia Silva, a 22-year-old journalism student and at the time a trainee at Jornal dos Sports. She was the only Brazilian reporter to accompany the women's team in the World Cup. Her trip was not without problems, and her visa was not issued until the day of the trip. It is thanks to her persistence that today we have records of the birth of the Brazilian Team.

Journalist Claudia Silva next to the players. (1988/1988) by Rights ReservedThe Football Museum

Claudia Jacobs concede depoimento ao Museu do Futebol, São Paulo
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Articles were sent by telex, an even greater challenge due to the keyboard format being different from the one used in Brazil. At low operating costs, the editorial staff of Jornal dos Sports would call the hotel, at between 4 and 5 am in China, and Claudia would rush to type the text. No photos were sent. The records produced were made with her own equipment and published upon her return. The newspaper provided only a certain amount of film, but the reporter purchased extra material and paid for the enlargements.

Claudia poses in front of the River Thames in London, during the stopover to return to Brazil. (1988/1988) by Rights ReservedThe Football Museum

Through her personal collection and memoirs, this virtual exhibition seeks to tell a little of this story, which will be 35 years old in 2023 - the year of the 9th World Cup.

THE CHINESE SUMMER

With extremely high temperatures and abundant rain, the Chinese summer was the first adversary for the Brazilian delegation. The weather caused the games and training sessions to take place in the late afternoon. Claudia says that the hotel where the group stayed was located in front of the Pearl River, the third largest in the country. The sensation of heat was even greater due to the warming of the air mass caused by the hot weather.

Claudia Silva and the player Pelezinha in national team training. (1988/1988) by Rights ReservedThe Football Museum

Barrels of water were everywhere due to the heat. However, as Claudia reports: "In China they don't have this custom of iced water, you know? We do. Can you imagine normal temperature water in that 40°[C] sun?!”

Hotel Hall in Guangzhou. (1988/1988) by Rights ReservedThe Football Museum

Players in warm up. (1988/1988) by Rights ReservedThe Football Museum

BRAZIL'S PARTICIPATION

The Brazilian team's first match was against Australia. Claudia reported in her column: "In the first game, the Brazilian team was defeated 1-0 by the Australians, and very much felt the problems caused by the time zone difference and poor adaptability to the local food".

Still in the group phase, the Brazilian team played against Norway. Besides the fact that the Europeans had been undefeated for 28 games, they were also very well equipped. Defender Suzana says that, while the Norwegians had individual first aid kits, the Brazilians didn't even have medication. Despite that, the encounter was won by Brazil by 2-1, with goals from Roseli and Michael Jackson. Claudia Silva highlighted the defense as a strong point, with a great performance by defender Marisa.

Teams lined up at Jiangm Stadium. (1988/1988) by Rights ReservedThe Football Museum

GROUP STAGE

"The first shock I had as a professional was how far behind we were" [...] "seeing how the Norwegian and Australian women were treated. The respect for the sport was a shock!" – Claudia Silva Jacobs.

Brazilian team before the victory against Thailand. (1988/1988) by Rights ReservedThe Football Museum

GROUP STAGE 

The match between the Brazilian and Thai women, which took place in the Jiangmen Stadium, was remarkable for a 9-0 thrashing which confirmed Brazil's place in the quarter-finals, with the highlight being the striker Cebola, who scored 4 goals.

At the Foshan stadium, Brazil and the Netherlands will compete for a spot in the semifinals. (1988/1988) by Rights ReservedThe Football Museum

QUARTER-FINALS: BRAZIL x HOLLAND

In the quarter-finals, the opponent was a strong Dutch team. With goals from Cebola and Sissi, Brazil's 2-1 victory "was built on the individual talent of its players", Claudia wrote in the Jornal dos Sports.

SEMI-FINAL

"The Brazilian women's football team lost their chance to play in the final of the World Cup when they were defeated 2-1 by Norway. The team entered the field with two players out of action and improvised in several positions. Despite this, there was no lack of spirit". [...] “The match was considered the best of the tournament by the press. The Brazilian team will play for third place against the host country, China, which lost to Sweden 2-1", wrote Claudia in the Jornal dos Sports.

Record of the electronic scoreboard during the penalty shoot-out that ended with a 4-3 victory for Brazil. (1988/1988) by Rights ReservedThe Football Museum

FACING THE HOSTS: BRAZIL x CHINA

In an extremely tight game watched by 35,000 people, Brazil drew with China, with no goals scored at full-time. The third place was decided by penalty shootout. The Brazilians won, with a crucial save by goalkeeper Simone, in her only match.

Fans watch the match. (1988/1988) by Rights ReservedThe Football Museum

Chinese fans showed their appreciation for the event, turning up en masse to the stadiums. Attendance totalled 400,000 people.

The Jiangmen Stadium was completely sold out. (1988/1988) by Rights ReservedThe Football Museum

CULTURAL INTERACTION

One of the highlights of this World Cup was the receptiveness shown by Chinese fans towards the Brazilian women. The enchantment around the Seleção was due as much to the football played as to the skin tone of the athletes. According to the journalist, they were not used to the presence of black people. It is worth mentioning that, during the period of the tournament, the soap opera "A Escrava Isaura" [Isaura the Slave], broadcast by TV Globo, was a hit in China.

Claudia Silva and the player Marisa with a group of Chinese children. (1988/1988) by Rights ReservedThe Football Museum

Goalkeeper Simone poses for a photo. (1988/1988) by Rights ReservedThe Football Museum

The Brazil star players became celebrities in China. With each dribble they performed, the fans exploded with excitement. Probably, the players said, they had never seen a woman do that with a ball.

Brazilian national team at the official FIFA dinner. (1988/1988) by Rights ReservedThe Football Museum

During the competition, a dinner was held in honour of the then FIFA President, João Havelange. Claudia reports that the outerwear worn by the Brazilian and Thai athletes on the occasion were out of keeping with the formal attire of the other delegations.

Claudia with the team of journalists from Norway. (1988/1988) by Rights ReservedThe Football Museum

NORWEGIAN COVERAGE

The professionalism of the Norwegian press team caught Claudia's attention, in contrast to her situation of being the only representative of the Brazilian press.

THE CHAMPIONS
 
In the first round of the World Cup, Norway had two wins: against Thailand and Australia. Its only setback was against the Brazilian Seleção. In the final phases, it eliminated the USA in the quarter-finals and Brazil in the semi-finals. They were crowned champions in a game against Sweden, which they won 1-0.

Visit to the legendary Wembley Stadium. (1988/1988) by Rights ReservedThe Football Museum

GOING HOME

As there were no flights to Brazil, the delegation stopped in London for three days. During their stay, part of the coaching staff and some of the players visited the city's tourist attractions. Claudia, who spoke fluent English, became the group's tour guide.

Top scorer Cebola and the coaching staff posing for a photo in front of the Routemasters, a classic red double-decker bus, in London. (1988/1988) by Rights ReservedThe Football Museum

Journalist Claudia Silva Jacobs. (2022/2022) by Rights ReservedThe Football Museum

THE PIONEERING ROLE OF A BLACK WOMAN IN WORLD CUP COVERAGE

"The preparation, the opportunity, the political issues, everything about that trip marked my whole life. First I understood that Women's Football should be taken seriously, with prepared, recognised and fairly paid professionals. Then I saw how other countries were getting the best out of their talents. I saw the difficulties and the will of these girls who changed the history of the sport in Brazil. And we owe to them the seed of what we have today. Long live the pioneers!" – Claudia Silva Jacobs.

Credits: Story

MUSEU DO FUTEBOL
São Paulo, April 2023.

IDBRASIL CULTURA, EDUCAÇÃO E ESPORTE - Cultural Social Organisation and management of the Museu do Futebol
Board of Directors
President - Carlos Antonio Luque
Executive Director - Renata Vieira da Motta
Administrative and Financial Director - Vitoria Boldrin
Technical Director - Marilia Bonas

Exhibition First women's world cup in China: The memoirs of journalist Claudia Silva, the only Brazilian to cover the tournament
Curatorship and texts: Claudia Silva Jacobs and Everton Apolinário
Metadata and assembly: Dóris Régis and Everton Apolinário
Proofreading: Ademir Takara, Fiorela Bugatti, Marcel Tonini and Renata Beltrão
Image treatment and audio editing: Hugo Takeyama

This virtual exhibition was produced as part of the Museu do Futebol's 2023 Season, with funds from the Federal Law for the Promotion of Culture.

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.