What was special about Brazilian football club Corinthians in the 1970s, referring to politics, players' wages etc?

Corinthians were the first Brazilian club in which players decided about concentração, a common Brazilian practice where the football players were locked up in a hotel days before a game, and discussed politics.

The year 1978 is best remembered for the arrival of Sócrates, who became the club's biggest star during the following six-year period. In addition to winning three more state championships, this Corinthians team became known for its political activism. Before each game, the players practiced "concentração," discussing politics and other important matters.

After a disappointing season, the club decided to make a change following the appointment of Adilson Monteiro Alves as the new technical director instead of Vicente Matheus. Alves felt that one of the reasons for the failure was a lack of dialogue between management and the team. Having listened to the opinion of the players and other club employees, in particular the politically conscious captain and team leader Sócrates, the technical director decided to change the strict hierarchical pyramid towards equality. Important issues were now decided by a vote. Players and staff became involved in the decision-making process that affected the team. This did not only concern the organisation of the game, training or transfers, but also, for example, covered the issues of recruitment and income distribution ... However, it was the political changes that were the main outcomes.

At the time, Brazil was ruled by the military, which came to power in a coup d'état in 1964. Meanwhile, the population had no opportunity to vote for another government, as there was no direct presidential election, and presidents were elected by the parliament, choosing the highest-ranking officers. In this context, the political appeals of the football club had a resonance - Corinthians was the first club to start using their shirts for political messages. Slogans of a political nature began to appear on their shirts, such as "Direct (elections) now" (Diretas-já) or "I want to vote for the president" (Eu quero votar para presidente). With each game, the club received more and more media coverage. A particularly memorable one was the club's victory in the 1983 Sao Paulo championship, after which the players carried a huge banner onto the pitch which proclaimed: " Win or lose, but always with democracy" (Ganhar ou perder mas semper com democracia). Corinthians' actions went beyond football by inspiring the nation to get directly involved in the political life of their country. An overwhelming majority of Brazilians supported the movement, and the Corinthians Democracy movement was largely responsible for raising the political awareness of the Brazilian people. It is worth noting that club did not urge people to vote for anyone in particular, but just to vote in general ...

However, a legislative initiative seeking an immediate restoration of direct popular elections failed. Despite strong popular support and rallies across the country, the proposal failed to win the necessary votes to amend the constitution. A disappointed Sócrates, who had promised to leave the country should the amendment fail to pass, stood by his word and went to play football in Italy.

Nevertheless, one year later, the situation changed. Under the strain of economic hardship, the Brazilian military resigned from the government. A new president was appointed and the electoral system was further reformed. Sócrates came back to Brazil - now playing for Flamengo. At the same time, Corinthians was no more what it used to be: supporters of the movement lost the club's presidential election. Paradoxically, the democracy triumphed in the country whilst it came to an end at the club.