This month saw Christopher’s long-awaited book ‘Brazil: The Beautiful Game’ published by Prestel, and it is now available to buy.
A father and son play football on Niteroi beach at dusk with a view of the Guanabara bay, Christ the Reedemer and the Sugar Loaf mountain, Rio de Janeiro.
Young male detention centre for under 20 year olds known as “FundaƧao Casa” or Febem, established by the Sao Paulo city government to help young offenders back to society. They are in prison for drug dealing, robbery and other crimes. They mostly come from deprived backgrounds usually from the multiple favelas that surround this megacity. They continue schooling activities and play mostly football whilst in detention, which can be up to a maximum of three years.
Yago dos Santos, also known as Senegal, sixteen and from favela a Rocinha is a passionate football player, hopes one day to join one of the big clubs, Rio de Janeiro.
Inside Marrey Prison close to Sao Paulo’s international airport at Guarulhos, the high security penitenciary hold 2200 inmates, 1000 more then it can officially hold. The prisoners play a football tournament as part of their privileges for good discipline. This high security institution houses mostly drug related criminals and other vilent crime, Guarulhos.
Priests from Santo Tomas de Vilanova seminary, play football against a team of international theology and philosophy students seminarians, Ourinhos.
In the absence of green spaces in the megacity that is Sao Paulo, a boy kicks a ball to friends on the streets of Brazil’s industrial heartland. 1997
A goalpost on Ipanema beach at day break, Rio de Janeiro, 2013.