Afonsinho will attend Thinking Football

The mythical Brazilian player AFONSINHO will visit Bilbao to collect the Thinking Football Film Festival Audience Award, along with film director Pedro Asbeg.

Last year, the Brazilian film “Democracia em preto e branco” which takes an in-depth look at the so-called Corinthian Democracy, was awarded the Audience Choice Award at the Thinking Football Film Festival. Film director, Pedro Asbeg, will be present at the inaugural ceremony.

The Prize consists of a sculpture by Basque sculptor Ángel Garraza and 2.000€ that the winner must donate to a social Project related to Football. Pedro Asbeg decided to donate the prize to the football academy for under-privileged children which AFONSINHO runs in the island of Paquetá, in Brazil.

Afonsinho (Afonso Celso Garcia Reis) was the first footballer to fight for the social rights of soccer players, fighting for the possibility of being able to switch teams in case of not having an existing contract in force. The player, also a psychiatrist, became a symbol of the social struggle and against the military dictatorship in Brazil. These aspects were all gathered in the verses of the famous song by Gilberto Gil “Meio de Campo”, and a film by Oswaldo Caldeira, “Passe Livre”.

On his part, the following day Pedro Asbeg will also be in attendance for the screening of his latest documentary “Geraldinos”, in which he narrates the story of the disappearance of the “El Geral” grandstand in the mythical Maracaná stadium. The documentary will be screened on 5 April at 20:00 hours.