The Projeto Tóquio (''Tokyo Project'') is a Portuguese language term traditionally used by Brazilian media and clubs' staff and supporters in the context of winning or attempting to win the

Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América ( pt, Copa Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in S ...

football (soccer) competition and then compete in the

FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The competition was first contested in 200 ...

(or, previously in the Intercontinental Cup) in Japan.''Papão - Nada de Projeto Tóquio'' - Gazeta Esportiva
Thus, when a club gets eliminated from the competition, it is said by the media that the team has postponed its Tokyo Project. The term Projeto Tóquio was first used in 1986, during São Paulo's

1986 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A The 1986 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A was the 30th edition of the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. São Paulo won the championship. Overview and format The 1986 tournament ranks as one of the most controversial ever, alongside 1987. For its detr ...

campaign, as a way to make the club more popular.

History

The project normally starts after the club win the

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A The Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (; English: "Brazilian Championship A Series"), commonly referred to as the Brasileirão (; English: "Big Brazilian"), and also known as Brasileirão Assaí due to sponsorship with Assaí Atacadista, is a Br ...

or the Copa do Brasil (which qualify their winner to compete in the following year's Copa Libertadores), and the clubs usually spend large sums of money to win the Copa Libertadores. In 1998,

Vasco da Gama Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira (; ; c. 1460s – 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea. His initial voyage to India by way of Cape of Good Hope (1497–1499) was the first to link E ...

spent US$10 million to win the competition,''Desmotivado, Vasco joga por título nos Estados Unidos'' - UOL Esportes (December 4, 1998)
/ref> and in 1998,

Palmeiras Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras (), commonly known as Palmeiras, is a Brazilian professional football club based in the city of São Paulo, in the district of Perdizes. Palmeiras is one of the most popular clubs in South America, with around ...

, managed by Luiz Felipe Scolari, brought

Júnior Baiano Raimundo Ferreira Ramos Júnior (born 14 March 1970), known as Júnior or Júnior Baiano as he comes from the state of Bahia, is a former Brazilian professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Club career Born in Feira de Santana, Jún ...

among other players, and won the Copa Libertadores 1999.''Palmeiras ganha um semestre para planejar Libertadores'' - UOL
(May 31, 1998) After winning the Copa Libertadores in 1997, Cruzeiro signed some players, such as Bebeto,

Gonçalves Gonçalves (; Portuguese for "son of Gonçalo") is a Portuguese surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Adílio de Oliveira Gonçalves (born 1956), Brazilian footballer * Ailton Goncalves da Silva (born 1973), Brazilian footballer * ...

and Donizete, just to play the match in Japan.''Copa Toyota'' - Gazeta Esportiva
Vasco tried to keep the 2000 Série A and

2000 Copa Mercosur The Copa Mercosur 2000 was the 3rd staging of the international club cup. The competition started on 1 August 2000 and concluded on 20 December 2000 with Vasco da Gama beating Palmeiras in the final. Participants * Atlético Mineiro * Corinthia ...

squad for the 2001 season, as part of their plan to win the

2001 Copa Libertadores The 2001 Copa Libertadores de América was the 42nd edition of CONMEBOL's premier club football tournament. The winners were Boca Juniors, beating Mexican club Cruz Azul in the finals on penalties and lifting its fourth Copa Libertadores trophy. ...

and thus compete in the Intercontinental Cup. The name refers to the city where the Intercontinental Cup was contested from 1980 to 2001, which was played in Tokyo during that period.

References

Books

Websites

{{DEFAULTSORT:Projeto Toquio Football in Brazil