History has a lesson for us, who endlessly mourn the Santiago fiasco. And for that we have to seek the pages of the world’s most popular of games, football — and its traditional trove Brazil as it existed in the late 60s.

Football is far more a religion in Brazil than cricket is in India. The ‘Giants of Brazi’l is a riveting film made on the Brazil greats who won the 1958 World Cup (Sweden), the 1962 World Cup (Chile) and were set to retain the Jules Rimet trophy (for winning it thrice). However, one the tragedies of sports history followed. In 1966 England saw the Brazilians crash out of the World Cup, around the same time we won our first Asian Games gold, not even making it to the semi-finals. The stunned Brazil team included such stars as Pelé, Jairzinho, Santos and Garrincha. Still it failed to make it to the final. The entire country was devastated emotionally.

Returning to the film again, it depicts how Brazil learnt its lessons and more importantly implemented new ideas successfully. Carlos Alberto, Gerson and Rivelino were amongst the team with Pele’ playing his last World Cup. The coach Mario Zagalo was to become the first man to ever win the World Cup as a player and coach, adding the 1970 crown to his previous 1958 and 1962 player’s medals.

The old order gave way to the new. It must be mentioned that Zagalo took over from Saldhana who resigned citing he could not take the pressure of including certain players’.

The Zagalo school of thought was simple. The objective was to play sans frills but with substance, flair to be relegated to the backburner. He was not averse to benching the stars if they ‘played to the galleries’.

He employed the 5-3-2 combination but which could easily change from attack to defence with players of calibre like Pele’ Ge’rson, Jarzinho and Rivelino – the finest ever football team.

He was an establishment man and his methods were not questioned.

In the four years interregnum between 1966-1970, he prepared the team first by firming up the basics as it is normally done with any school football team.

The scenes in the film are poignant as he is ruthless, taking the stars to the basics of trapping, heading, passing, chesting, corner kicks, penalty kicks.

In a nutshell, the coach brought the stars down to earth — for training them to fly again. And did he succeed? Brazil won all the games and deservedly claimed the Jules Rimet trophy — convincingly.

One man with a mission, authority and accountability had done it for Brazil–Maria Zagalo, a Lebanese born player. A foreign coach to train Brazilians in football!!

Can it happen in India?

For the Indian Hockey Federation (read KPS Gill and Jothikumaran) who had no hesitation in getting Gerard Rach — who!! asked the hockey fraternity!! as India’s first foreign coach, that too a few weeks before the Olympics, proved to be a disaster.

At the moment, the Zagalo for Indian hockey is Ric Charlesworth with impeccable credentials as a player, leader, mentor and coach. Give him the team he wants for four years as Brazil did with Zagalo. Indian hockey will be there where it belongs — at the top. But for that, the mandarins will have to keep their ego aside.