His job used to be to score goals, now it’s much harder. Former Germany international Cacau is the new integration commissioner at the DFB. The Brazilian-born forward brings authenticity and personality to his role, and a whole lot of energy.
After years as an ambassador, Cacau will soon be working even more closely with the DFB in a role that carries immense importance. The 23-times Germany international is the new integration commissioner at the DFB. “I don’t just want to be a face of integration, I want to immerse myself in the issue,” said Claudemir Jeronimo Barreto, known to most of the world as “Cacau”, at his first media event in Frankfurt.
Since 2006, organised football has intensified efforts to promote togetherness through football, either by means of the yearly awarding of the DFB and Mercedes-Benz Integration prize, the production of integration commercials by Sönke Wortmann, or through one of the many campaigns. Recently the DFB Stifting Edigius Braun foundation, together with the Federal Government Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration, started the “1-0 for a welcome” integration campaign. Within two years over 3,000 clubs have been recognised for inviting refugees to play football. 1.1 million people with migrant backgrounds are members of the DFB, making football clearly one of the most diverse sports in Germany.
It is no new territory for Cacau, nor will he be required to do any pioneering work. Integration has long been an important topic for all and for some an extremely emotive word. The influx of groups like Pegida or frightening reports about a supposed “uninhibited” centre of society are indicators of how much intuition and attitude Cacau will need to prove in his new role.
The 35-year-old got off to a flying start in the role, just as he did during his playing career. Just look back to the group stage match against Australia at the 2010 World Cup. Cacau enters the affray in place of Miroslav Klose and just 110 seconds later the ball was in the back of the net – still the second fastest World Cup goal from a substitute. Quick out of the blocks, always with his eyes on the goal – exactly how he is now. On the Tuesday he was introduced to the media, on Thursday and Friday he spoke all day and night at a DFB conference in Kaiserau, on Sunday he was studio guest on SWR, and on Monday was speaking once more about integration, this time as an interview guest on the live coverage of the 2. Bundesliga match between Stuttgart and Nürnberg.
He is an inspiration wherever he goes. “You can’t force players to speak out for social issues. But obviously, we as footballers have a responsibility as role models,” he told conference delegates from the sports industry, politics and business. “I’m looking forward to this job. It doesn’t solve everything, but when you understand that integration starts within one’s self, that's already a big win,” he said at the media day in Frankfurt. He will soon start visiting social projects with junior academy teams. “It’s certainly not wasted time if young players realise that the football isn’t the be all and end all.”
Cacau lives with his wife and three kids near Stuttgart in Korb. His application for citizenship in 2008 had nothing to do with his sporting ambitions, but rather his love for Germany. He once received six votes at a mayoral election, without even running for office. His successful playing career came to an end in October 2016 and since then has begun a sports management degree at the ESM Academy in Nürnberg. Eventually he is hoping to return to professional football as a sporting director.
As a teenager in Brazil, Cacau hit a dead end as he sought a career in professional football. He decided to try his luck in Germany and in 1999 he joined Bavarian Landesliga side Türk Gücü München. It is not with a hidden agenda, but rather from pure experience, that he tells of his time there, when the manager would do his team talks in Turkish, which would be translated into German, although he couldn’t understand it at the time, or about how he froze during his German winter, or about his first German book. “Quite unselfishly, we helped a lot of people back then. I believe I can credibly convey to immigrants what chances are open to them, and what they need to for them.”
His job used to be to score goals, now it’s much harder. Former Germany international Cacau is the new integration commissioner at the DFB. The Brazilian-born forward brings authenticity and personality to his role, and a whole lot of energy.
After years as an ambassador, Cacau will soon be working even more closely with the DFB in a role that carries immense importance. The 23-times Germany international is the new integration commissioner at the DFB. “I don’t just want to be a face of integration, I want to immerse myself in the issue,” said Claudemir Jeronimo Barreto, known to most of the world as “Cacau”, at his first media event in Frankfurt.
Since 2006, organised football has intensified efforts to promote togetherness through football, either by means of the yearly awarding of the DFB and Mercedes-Benz Integration prize, the production of integration commercials by Sönke Wortmann, or through one of the many campaigns. Recently the DFB Stifting Edigius Braun foundation, together with the Federal Government Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration, started the “1-0 for a welcome” integration campaign. Within two years over 3,000 clubs have been recognised for inviting refugees to play football. 1.1 million people with migrant backgrounds are members of the DFB, making football clearly one of the most diverse sports in Germany.
It is no new territory for Cacau, nor will he be required to do any pioneering work. Integration has long been an important topic for all and for some an extremely emotive word. The influx of groups like Pegida or frightening reports about a supposed “uninhibited” centre of society are indicators of how much intuition and attitude Cacau will need to prove in his new role.
The 35-year-old got off to a flying start in the role, just as he did during his playing career. Just look back to the group stage match against Australia at the 2010 World Cup. Cacau enters the affray in place of Miroslav Klose and just 110 seconds later the ball was in the back of the net – still the second fastest World Cup goal from a substitute. Quick out of the blocks, always with his eyes on the goal – exactly how he is now. On the Tuesday he was introduced to the media, on Thursday and Friday he spoke all day and night at a DFB conference in Kaiserau, on Sunday he was studio guest on SWR, and on Monday was speaking once more about integration, this time as an interview guest on the live coverage of the 2. Bundesliga match between Stuttgart and Nürnberg.
He is an inspiration wherever he goes. “You can’t force players to speak out for social issues. But obviously, we as footballers have a responsibility as role models,” he told conference delegates from the sports industry, politics and business. “I’m looking forward to this job. It doesn’t solve everything, but when you understand that integration starts within one’s self, that's already a big win,” he said at the media day in Frankfurt. He will soon start visiting social projects with junior academy teams. “It’s certainly not wasted time if young players realise that the football isn’t the be all and end all.”
Cacau lives with his wife and three kids near Stuttgart in Korb. His application for citizenship in 2008 had nothing to do with his sporting ambitions, but rather his love for Germany. He once received six votes at a mayoral election, without even running for office. His successful playing career came to an end in October 2016 and since then has begun a sports management degree at the ESM Academy in Nürnberg. Eventually he is hoping to return to professional football as a sporting director.
As a teenager in Brazil, Cacau hit a dead end as he sought a career in professional football. He decided to try his luck in Germany and in 1999 he joined Bavarian Landesliga side Türk Gücü München. It is not with a hidden agenda, but rather from pure experience, that he tells of his time there, when the manager would do his team talks in Turkish, which would be translated into German, although he couldn’t understand it at the time, or about how he froze during his German winter, or about his first German book. “Quite unselfishly, we helped a lot of people back then. I believe I can credibly convey to immigrants what chances are open to them, and what they need to for them.”
The growing trend of right-wing extremism is extremely alarming for Cacau. “It’s not the Germany that I know. But we shouldn’t get be too scared by it. It’s not a majority, it’s a small group of individuals or radical groups that cause the violence. Such attacks damage Germany’s image around the world,” he said. He knows that in the coming months he will be visiting a lot of refugee camps, noting: “Especially with refugees, it is important that native Germans reach out to these people, because when people arrive in new a country, they are usually very shy.” He also added, “this country can give you a huge chance in life. It’s ok to be grateful for that and to convey that to others.”
In 263 games for VfB Stuttgart or the national team, he always played forward. Now, for the next few years at least, he represents the DFB as “man in the middle”. His job is no longer scoring goals – it’s much harder than that. It’s about bringing people together.
