Indigenous football team makes professional debut in Brazil

From a village on the coast of Rio de Janeiro state, indigenous people have founded a professional football team made up solely of players from across Brazil, turning the state championship into a new front in their struggle for representation.

The purpose of the Originarios team, the first fully indigenous team to compete in an official football championship in Rio, goes far beyond scoring goals.

“The initial idea was to form the team and play in the championship. Not to become champions, but to give visibility to a people who suffer greatly, directly defending their land,” said club president Tupa Nunes, the chief of the Mata Verde Bonita village, home to Guarani Mbya Indigenous people.

“From a young age, I believed that by playing great football, beautiful football, well-played football, you can break the stone hearts of those who failed to understand your dream, your project, your people,” he added.

Indigenous people, who represent 0.8 per cent of Brazil's population, are disproportionately targeted by violence. Research shows hundreds of indigenous people are killed every year in land disputes in Brazil.

Head coach Huberlan Silva said building the squad required an active search for indigenous talent across the country.

“Wherever I know there was an Indigenous community, I call to find out where there is hidden talent, someone who didn’t get the opportunity and who, by coming here, can become a high-performance professional athlete,” Silva said.

Many players came from thousands of miles away, deep in the Amazon rainforest, to join Originarios.

The matches are an opportunity for forward Edilson Karai Mirim, a graphic artist from the Mata Verde Bonita village, to showcase the Guarani people's culture through body paint.

“It means a lot to me because it represents my people and my history,” he said.

The dream is to take the struggle for representation beyond the Rio championship.

Nunes dreams of seeing his “warrior eagles,” the bird featured on the club’s jersey, fly higher, reaching big clubs in Brazil, Europe and perhaps even the national team.

“I want to see Originarios players opening doors to play for Flamengo, Botafogo, Fluminense, other Brazilian teams, or in Europe," he said. "But I also want to reach the Brazilian national team.”