鈥淥ne of the biggest blasts of hot air, which I鈥檝e been hearing ever since I was an adolescent, is the idea that top level sport is a good place to learn and develop ethical and moral values.
"It never was. Ambition, the desire to be a hero and to make lots of money are usually much stronger.鈥
So wrote great Tostao in Sunday鈥檚 version of his always interesting column, a twice weekly space where football is analysed by someone of great knowledge and intelligence who loves the game but is even more fascinated by the subtleties and contradictions of the human being.
鈥淭here are exceptions,鈥 he continues, before plunging into depressing accounts of athletes doping themselves to gain an illegal advantage.
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All's fair in love, war and relegation battles - or Palmeiras seem to think so.
The Sao Paulo giants, the team of the city's Italian community, are in trouble. Back in July they won the Brazilian Cup, guaranteeing a place in next year's Copa Libertadores, South America's Champions League.
However, results have since suffered in the domestic league and they now need to make up a seven-point gap with just four rounds of the season left.
Their hopes could perhaps rest on the outcome of a hearing to be held in the next couple of days. The focus of their appeal is a disallowed goal from Argentine centre-forward Hernan Barcos against Internacional聽on October 27.
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The biggest occasion in South American domestic club football was back on Sunday when .
The big Buenos Aires derby is followed all over the continent for a number of reasons. One is the historic role played by Argentina in the consolidation of South American football. The British introduced the game to the South Cone. More than anyone else, the Argentines helped the spread of the game northwards. In terms of playing styles and fan culture, much of the continent takes its cue from Argentina.
The second reason is the content of the derby, the forces which are being represented. Both River and Boca began life in the working class docklands area of La Boca - literally 'the mouth' of the River Plate - where, during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century immigrants poured in in their millions from Italy, Spain, Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
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I cover South American football from Brazil. There's a wealth of talent and a rich culture - a fascinating continent to follow football.
