Where great football and bad blood go hand in hand

DERBY DAYS SOUTH AMERICA WORLD CUP QUALIFIERBrazil coach Dunga's job is on the line but the World Cup points will almost be incidental when they take on their arch rivals Argentina in Belo Horizonte, writes Damian Cullen

MATCH DAY. The Brazilian national anthem is playing and the camera slowly pans down the line, pausing for a moment as each player with five stars above his crest comes into view.

Ronaldo. Kaka. Maradona.

Maradona? He wakes in a cold sweat. In his Argentina jersey.

"Ay, caramba!" he cries. "It was a nightmare! I must stop drinking so much Guaraná. I'm becoming a bit Brazilian."

For the soft-drink company, it was marketing genius - quickly becoming one of the most famous television advertisements ever shown in South America (if you're interested, have a look at http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=6UwUmursNSY). But for Argentinians watching their greatest player in a Brazil jersey singing Hino Nacional Brasileiro it was, well, sacrilege. Chat shows and newspapers kept the controversy alive for weeks, with one question in particular continually coming up for debate: Would Pelé ever consider wearing an Argentina jersey?

The general feeling in Brazil was that he wouldn't - that the greatest player in the world would never don the jersey of their fiercest rivals. "He already has," was the retort from across the Río de la Plata basin.

Maradona beat Pelé, of course, for the Player of the Century award in the official Fifa poll in 2000, but the award caused such rancour that Fifa decided to give a second award to Pelé. Maradona famously left the ceremony in Rome before Pelé received his award.

Fifa should have been wise before the event. Ever since Columbus discovered the New World in 1492, the Portuguese and Spanish crowns have been competing for influence in Latin America. And since the first international between Brazil and Argentina, in 1914, the rivalry between the nations has been focused on the playing pitch.

And the games have often resembled the armed conflicts of the past.

In 1939, Argentina humiliated Brazil 5-1 in Rio de Janeiro, and even bettered that the following year in Buenos Aires, demolishing their neighbours 6-1.

In between, however, was an even more controversial meeting, again in Rio de Janeiro. With the sides tied 2-2 late in the game, Brazil were awarded a debatable penalty.

The visitors were so incensed local police had to escort Arcadio López off the pitch, leading to the rest of the team following the Argentinian defender to the dressingroom in protest. Despite there being no one between the posts, the penalty was still taken, but the victory for Brazil was also empty.

The period of Brazil's greatest dominance over Argentina was equally emotive. And, once again, Rio de Janeiro was the location.

In 1945, Brazil recorded their biggest victory over their rivals, 6-2, but the game was marred by a challenge that left Argentina's Batagleiro with a broken leg. A few months later the teams met again, this time in the South American Championship final (now the Copa América).

By the time the teams walked on to the field at Estádio Monumental in Buenos Aires, the only question was when, rather than if, the fireworks would begin. Answer: 28 minutes.

Jair went in strongly on José Salomón. The 30-year-old Argentinian captain was left with a broken tibia and fibula. His career was over.

Pandemonium ensued, with the players quickly joined on the pitch by officials and spectators, though, miraculously, the game eventually restarted and Argentina - despite playing in a cauldron of hate - claimed the title with a 2-0 victory.

So damaging was the impact of the game that the two would not meet again for a decade - with one or the other regularly declining to play in competitions.

But the match held even more significance - it showed once and for all how the Argentinians would never bow to the most successful and feared football nation in the world.

In fact, perhaps the core reason for the famous rivalry is based on one simple fact - only one country in the world has a positive head-to-head record with Brazil in football.

In matches at World Cup finals, Brazil lead with two wins, one draw and one loss and they also lead five to three in "friendlies" (with four draws). Argentina have, however, held a stranglehold on their neighbours in the Copa América, losing on only eight occasions in 30 meetings, with seven games ending in stalemate.

One of those Copa América ties occurred in Santiago, Chile, in July 1991 with the title on the line. Argentina emerged with the win, 3-2, but, after several fights, Argentina finished with nine players, Claudio Caniggia and Enrique having been sent off, and Brazil limped to the finish with only eight players, Mazinho, Márcio Santos and Careca all relieved of playing duties before time was up.

Their most recent clash, in July of last year, had fewer off-the-ball antics but some spectacular goals.

Hosted by Venezuela, the game was the final match of Copa América 2007 and Brazil prevailed 3-0.

But Brazil's reputation has taken a battering since then.

While Argentina could only manage a 1-1 draw at home to Ecuador on Sunday, Brazil lost 2-0 in Paraguay, a defeat that has had the Brazilian media fuming in the run-up to tonight's big game.

Brazil have only eight points from their first five games in the South American qualifying group so far, and so Dunga's job as coach is on the line.

Tonight's game is in Belo Horizonte, Portuguese for "beautiful horizon", which is where Dunga will be heading should the home side lose again.