Osmar Santos was for years one of Brazil's most creative and best loved football commentators until injuries from a car accident forced his retirement in 1994.
As well as football, he was prominent in the pro-democracy campaign in the 1980s. The Osmar Santos trophy is awarded each year to the team that finishes the opening half of the Brazilian top flight in first place.
What are your expectations for the World Cup?
Brazil could well be champion especially as it will be playing at home and will enter the tournament full of confidence after winning the Confederations Cup last year. But for me the favourite is Germany.
Were you surprised by the protests?
No. Many Brazilians passionate for football dreamed of seeing a World Cup in Brazil but have ended up being frustrated because of so many cases of delays to public works, corruption and the waste of money. This stains the image of the country and hurts the relationship between the people and their passion for football.
You were associated with the struggle for the return of democracy alongside players such as Sócrates and Casagrande. Why has no player emerged during the recent protests to voice the population's frustrations?
Football is a means of speaking to all the population. But the times now are not the same as during the 1980s struggle for democracy. But the protests could help reform our football. In a time of protests we’ve seen the emergence of Common Sense FC, a union of players that want to improve the state of our football. This is positive.
