When Brazil banned women from playing football - Witness History podcast, BBC World Service

In 1941, Brazil passed a law banning women from playing football - a prohibition that lasted nearly 40 years. While the men’s team lifted World Cups and shaped a national identity, girls across the country were chased from the pitch, shamed, and even arrested. Click here to subscribe to our channel 👉🏽 https://bbc.in/3VyyriM In this episode of Witness History, former player and coach Dilma Mendes remembers growing up in Bahia during the ban. She describes being pursued by police officers, hiding in a shallow hole to avoid arrest, and fighting for a place on the pitch despite widespread discrimination. When the ban was finally lifted in 1979, progress remained slow — but Dilma went on to help shape the future of women's football in Brazil, eventually coaching the national seven-a-side team to a world championship. This video was visualised by 1UpMedia, with audio from BBC. 1UpMedia uses Gen-AI tools to assist in scene creation. All AI usage strictly follows BBC’s Guidance on the Use of Artificial Intelligence: https://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/reports/policies/approach-to-ai/ To learn how 1UpMedia uses AI responsibly, visit: https://www.1upmedia.sg/ethics 00:00 Introduction 00:30 The dream of playing for Brazil as a woman 01:00 Chased by police for playing football 02:20 The family who wouldn’t let her play 03:30 A Goal That Changed Everything 04:06 Why Brazil banned women’s football 05:05 A game of cat and mouse with the police 05:50 Playing dead to keep playing football 06:40 Her father’s support 07:05 Understanding her mother, family & football 07:30 The ban is finally lifted 08:06 Dilma becomes a pioneer for women’s football in Brazil Click to watch more episodes of Witness History 👉🏽 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLz_B0PFGIn4cfahLaE406BWHwYkYHqB57 ---------------- This is the official BBC World Service YouTube channel. If you like what we do, you can also find us here: Instagram 👉🏽 https://www.instagram.com/bbcworldservice Twitter 👉🏽 https://twitter.com/bbcworldservice Facebook 👉🏽 https://facebook.com/bbcworldservice BBC World Service website 👉🏽 https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldserviceradio Thanks for watching and subscribing! #BBCWorldService #WorldService #brazil #football #worldcup