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By Brian Homewood
RIO DE JANEIRO, May 9 (Reuters) - The Brazilian championship kicks off at the weekend -- with one third of the season already having been completed.
With the Libertadores Cup in full swing and the Copa Brasil knockout tournament at the quarter-final stages, the first fixture of the domestic season's showpiece is a mere after-thought for many clubs.
At international level, Brazil remains one of the world's most successful and glamorous soccer nations but the domestic scene is a different reality and bears little resemblance to anything found in Europe.
The Brazilian championship itself is run on a conventional league basis with the 20 teams playing each other twice.
Unlike other major soccer nations, however, Brazil also has regional competitions -- one for each of the country's 26 states plus the federal district of Brasilia -- and these are considered almost as important.
The state competitions, played from January to early May, mean that teams will have played up to 24 matches before they even start the 38-match Brazilian championship campaign.
Palmeiras and Internacional, who won the Paulista and Gaucho championships respectively last Sunday, will have barely had time celebrate before getting down to business.
Sao Paulo and Fluminense will have their minds elsewhere as they have reached the quarter-finals of the Libertadores, the South American equivalent of the Champions League, and could be joined by Santos, who were playing Colombia's Cucuta on Thursday.
Flamengo and Cruzeiro have had an even more eventful time as they won their respective state championships in Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais on Sunday and were knocked out of the Libertadores on Wednesday.
TRANSFER WINDOW
Further confusion is added because the European transfer window opens in July, just as the competition is getting into swing.
The result is that the top players are sold to European clubs after only two months' action, leaving their teams to rebuild.
A knock-on effect is that if a team loses form after selling a key player, the coach invariably gets the sack.
"The transfer window is a Sword of Damocles hanging over the coach," said Mano Menezes, who coached Gremio last year.
"I think we need to change the season so it coincides with Europe. Then, the effects would not be as serious."
There are outstanding candidates for this year's title and almost no big names.
"Nobody can be singled out as a favourite," said Fluminense coach Renato Portaluppi. "Anyone could be relegated or champions."
Palmeiras, whose coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo has won the title five times, have looked strong and Chilean midfielder Jorge Valdivia is one of the most flamboyant and inventive players in Brazil.
They are away to Coritiba on Sunday.
Internacional and Cruzeiro have also looked strong early but Sao Paulo, champions for the last two years, have been off colour and devoid of midfield creativity.
The Tricolor, who host Gremio on Sunday, are set to lose striker Adriano, when his loan from Inter Milan ends in July.
Corinthians, champions in 2005 and the country's second most popular club, will be missing after being relegated last year.
The newcomers are Vitoria, who since being relegated in 2004 have gone all the way down to the third division and back up again, Coritiba, Portuguesa and Ipatinga, founded only 10 years ago.
