| Taça Independência | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Brazil | 
| Dates | June 11 – July 9 | 
| Teams | 20 (from 5 confederations) | 
| Venue(s) | 15 (in 12 host cities) | 
| Final positions | |
| Champions | .svg.png.webp) Brazil | 
| Runners-up |  Portugal | 
| Third place | .svg.png.webp) Yugoslavia | 
| Fourth place | .svg.png.webp) Argentina | 
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 44 | 
| Goals scored | 136 (3.09 per match) | 
| Top scorer(s) | .svg.png.webp) Dušan Bajević (13 goals) | 
The Brazil Independence Cup was an international football tournament held in Brazil, from 11 June to 9 July 1972, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Brazilian Declaration of Independence. It was called the Minicopa by the Brazilians and the final was between Brazil and Portugal, in the Maracanã Stadium. Brazil won 1–0, with Jairzinho scoring in the 89th minute.
Brazil no longer had Pelé but still had Tostão, Jairzinho and Rivellino, the later two also played in the 1974 FIFA World Cup, in West Germany.
Despite Portugal's quality results and team, including Benfica players such as Eusébio, Jaime Graça, José Henrique, Humberto Coelho, Rui Jordão, and Toni, the team missed the World Cup 1974 and 1978 qualifying matches, so this tournament was their best result until the 1984 European Football Championship.
Format
Twenty teams competed; 18 national teams as well as two representative sides from Africa and CONCACAF (North and Central America and the Caribbean).
First round
15 teams competed in the first round, while 5 teams (Brazil, Czechoslovakia, Scotland, Soviet Union, Uruguay) received byes to the final stage.
The teams are drawn into three groups of 5 teams. Each team plays each other team in its group once, earning 2 points for a win and 1 for a draw. The three first-placed teams advance to the final stage.
Final stage
The 8 teams are drawn into two groups of 4 teams. Each team plays each other team in its group once, earning 2 points for a win and 1 for a draw.
The two group runners-up play each other in the third-place playoff.
The two group winners play each other in the final.
Venues

The tournament was played in 12 cities: Aracaju, Belo Horizonte, Campo Grande, Curitiba, Maceió, Manaus, Natal, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and São Paulo.
| Aracaju | Belo Horizonte | Campo Grande | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Batistão | Mineirão | Estádio Independência | Morenão | 
| Capacity: 45,000 | Capacity: 110,000 | Capacity: 23,000 | Capacity: 45,000 | 
|  |  | ||
| Curitiba | Maceió | Manaus | Natal | 
| Estádio Couto Pereira | Estádio Rei Pelé | Vivaldão | Machadão | 
| Capacity: 37,182 | Capacity: 20,551 | Capacity: 31,000 | Capacity: 42,000 | 
|  |  |  | |
| Porto Alegre | Recife | Rio de Janeiro | Salvador | 
| Estádio Beira-Rio | Estádio do Arruda | Maracanã | Estádio Fonte Nova | 
| Capacity: 106,000 | Capacity: 60,000 | Capacity: 200,000 | Capacity: 80,000 | 
|  |  |  |  | 
| São Paulo | |||
| Estádio do Pacaembu | Estádio do Morumbi | ||
| Capacity: 40,000 | Capacity: 120,000 | ||
|  |  | ||
Squads
Group stage
Group A
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .svg.png.webp) Argentina (A) | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 1 | +12 | 7 | 
|  France | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 2 | +8 | 7 | 
| Africa | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 3 | 
|  Colombia | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 13 | −6 | 2 | 
| CONCACAF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 16 | −13 | 1 | 
(A) Advance to a further round
| Argentina .svg.png.webp) | 2–0 | Africa | 
|---|---|---|
| Fischer  40' Mastrángelo  42' | Report | 
Group B
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|  Portugal (A) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 | +10 | 8 | 
|  Chile | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 
|  Republic of Ireland | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 
|  Ecuador | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 9 | −5 | 1 | 
|  Iran | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 1 | 
(A) Advance to a further round
| Republic of Ireland  | 2–1 |  Iran | 
|---|---|---|
| Leech  57' Givens  74' | Report | Ghelichkhani  10' | 
| Portugal  | 4–1 |  Chile | 
|---|---|---|
| Coelho  14' Dinis  54', 66' Eusébio  71' | Report | Caszely  56' | 
| Republic of Ireland  | 3–2 |  Ecuador | 
|---|---|---|
| Rogers  2' Martin  61' O'Connor  86' | Report | Coronel  36' Lasso  78' | 
| Ecuador  | 1–1 |  Iran | 
|---|---|---|
| Lasso  15' | Report | Ghelichkhani  36' | 
| Chile  | 2–1 |  Republic of Ireland | 
|---|---|---|
| Caszely  16' Fouilloux  25' | Report | Rogers  79' | 
Group C
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .svg.png.webp) Yugoslavia (A) | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 3 | +12 | 7 | 
| .svg.png.webp) Paraguay | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 4 | +8 | 6 | 
| .svg.png.webp) Peru | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 4 | 
|  Bolivia | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 12 | −8 | 2 | 
| .svg.png.webp) Venezuela | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 17 | −14 | 1 | 
(A) Advance to a further round
| Peru .svg.png.webp) | 3–0 |  Bolivia | 
|---|---|---|
| Gallardo  7' (pen.) Castañeda  16' Sotil  31' | Report | 
| Paraguay .svg.png.webp) | 4–1 | .svg.png.webp) Venezuela | 
|---|---|---|
| L. Jiménez  2' Escobar  11' Maldonado  13', 37' | Report | Olivares  26' | 
| Yugoslavia .svg.png.webp) | 10–0 | .svg.png.webp) Venezuela | 
|---|---|---|
| Bajević  5', 7', 48', 68', 74' Džajić  20' Aćimović  37' Popivoda  44' Stepanović  51' Katalinski  54' | Report | 
| Paraguay .svg.png.webp) | 1–0 | .svg.png.webp) Peru | 
|---|---|---|
| Godoy  89' | Report | 
| Yugoslavia .svg.png.webp) | 1–1 |  Bolivia | 
|---|---|---|
| Katalinski  32' | Report | Pariente  78' | 
| Peru .svg.png.webp) | 1–0 | .svg.png.webp) Venezuela | 
|---|---|---|
| O. Ramírez  65' | Report | 
| Yugoslavia .svg.png.webp) | 2–1 | .svg.png.webp) Paraguay | 
|---|---|---|
| Bajević  50', 86' | Report | Escobar  17' | 
| Paraguay .svg.png.webp) | 6–1 |  Bolivia | 
|---|---|---|
| Maldonado  7', 67' Arrúa  57', 59', 67' dos Santos  86' | Report | Molinas  63' (o.g.) | 
| Yugoslavia .svg.png.webp) | 2–1 | .svg.png.webp) Peru | 
|---|---|---|
| Bajević  4', 37' | Report | O. Ramírez  11' | 
Final stage
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | .svg.png.webp) Brazil (A) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 5 | 
| 2 | .svg.png.webp) Yugoslavia (A) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 3 | 
| 3 |  Scotland | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 2 | 
| 4 |  Czechoslovakia | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 2 | 
(A) Advance to a further round
| Brazil .svg.png.webp) | 3–0 | .svg.png.webp) Yugoslavia | 
|---|---|---|
| Leivinha  22', 25' Jairzinho  65' | Report | 
| Yugoslavia .svg.png.webp) | 2–1 |  Czechoslovakia | 
|---|---|---|
| Bajević  19' Džajić  77' | Report | Hrušecký  37' | 
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Portugal (A) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 5 | 
| 2 | .svg.png.webp) Argentina (A) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 
| 3 |  Soviet Union | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 2 | 
| 4 |  Uruguay | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 1 | 
(A) Advance to a further round
| Soviet Union  | 1–0 |  Uruguay | 
|---|---|---|
| Onishchenko  59' | Report | 
| Portugal  | 3–1 | .svg.png.webp) Argentina | 
|---|---|---|
| Calisto  36' Eusébio  45' Dinis  47' | Report | Brindisi  29' | 
| Argentina .svg.png.webp) | 1–0 |  Soviet Union | 
|---|---|---|
| Pastoriza  75' | Report | 
| Portugal  | 1–0 |  Soviet Union | 
|---|---|---|
| Jordão  46' | Report | 
Third place match
| Yugoslavia .svg.png.webp) | 4–2 | .svg.png.webp) Argentina | 
|---|---|---|
| Bajević  26', 83' Katalinski  37' Džajić  64' | Report | Brindisi  58' (pen.), 87' (pen.) | 
Final

Statistics
Goalscorers
There were 57 goals scored in 16 matches, for an average of 3.56 goals per match.
13 goals
5 goals
4 goals
3 goals
2 goals
.svg.png.webp) Leivinha Leivinha
 Jean-Pierre Tokoto Jean-Pierre Tokoto
 Carlos Lugo Carlos Lugo
 Jaime Morón Jaime Morón
 Hernando Pineros Hernando Pineros
 Charly Loubet Charly Loubet
 Mick Leech Mick Leech
 Eamonn Rogers Eamonn Rogers
 Parviz Ghelichkhani Parviz Ghelichkhani
 Oswaldo Ramírez Oswaldo Ramírez
 Humberto Coelho Humberto Coelho
 Nené Nené
.svg.png.webp) Adalberto Escobar Adalberto Escobar
 Lou Macari Lou Macari
 Edwin Reiner Edwin Reiner
1 goal
.svg.png.webp) Ernesto Mastrángelo Ernesto Mastrángelo
.svg.png.webp) José Omar Pastoriza José Omar Pastoriza
.svg.png.webp) Ángel Vargas Ángel Vargas
.svg.png.webp) Ramiro Blacutt Ramiro Blacutt
.svg.png.webp) Mario Pariente Mario Pariente
.svg.png.webp) Jaime Rimazza Jaime Rimazza
 Laurent Pokou Laurent Pokou
 Julio Crisosto Julio Crisosto
 Alberto Fouilloux Alberto Fouilloux
 Orlando Mesa Orlando Mesa
 Anton Hrušecký Anton Hrušecký
 Miguel Coronel Miguel Coronel
 Georges Bereta Georges Bereta
 Bernard Blanchet Bernard Blanchet
 Louis Floch Louis Floch
 Marc Molitor Marc Molitor
.svg.png.webp) Jean-Claude Désir Jean-Claude Désir
 Don Givens Don Givens
 Mick Martin Mick Martin
 Turlough O'Connor Turlough O'Connor
 Majid Halvaei Majid Halvaei
 Hernán Castañeda Hernán Castañeda
 Alberto Gallardo Alberto Gallardo
 Hugo Sotil Hugo Sotil
 Adolfo Calisto Adolfo Calisto
 Jaime Graça Jaime Graça
 Rui Jordão Rui Jordão
 Fernando Peres Fernando Peres
.svg.png.webp) Emigdio dos Santos Emigdio dos Santos
.svg.png.webp) Tiberio Godoy Tiberio Godoy
.svg.png.webp) Lorenzo Jiménez Lorenzo Jiménez
 Vladimir Onishchenko Vladimir Onishchenko
 Ricardo Pavoni Ricardo Pavoni
.svg.png.webp) Ramón Iriarte Ramón Iriarte
.svg.png.webp) Luis Mendoza Luis Mendoza
.svg.png.webp) Asdrúbal Olivares Asdrúbal Olivares
.svg.png.webp) Jovan Acimovic Jovan Acimovic
.svg.png.webp) Danilo Popivoda Danilo Popivoda
.svg.png.webp) Dragoslav Stepanovic Dragoslav Stepanovic
3 own goals
 Fernando Bulnes (against France) Fernando Bulnes (against France)
.svg.png.webp) Pedro Molinas (against Bolivia) Pedro Molinas (against Bolivia)
 Martin Buchan (against Yugoslavia) Martin Buchan (against Yugoslavia)
Hat-tricks
| # | Player | G | Time of goals | For | Result | Against | Phase | Date | FIFA report | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Hervé Revelli | 3 | 15', 21', 69' |  France | 5-0 | CONCACAF | Group stage | 11 June 1972 | Report | 
| 2. | Dušan Bajević | 5 | 5', 7', 48', 68', 74' | .svg.png.webp) Yugoslavia | 10-0 | .svg.png.webp) Venezuela | 14 June 1972 | Report | |
| 3. | Rodolfo Fischer | 4 | 26', 68', 81', 86' |  Argentina | 7-0 | CONCACAF | 18 June 1972 | Report | |
| 4. | Carlos Bianchi | 3 | 17', 49', 62' |  Argentina | 4-1 |  Colombia | 22 June 1972 | Report | |
| 5. | Saturnino Arrúa | 3 | 57', 59', 67' | .svg.png.webp) Paraguay | 6-1 |  Bolivia | 25 June 1972 | Report | |
References
- Macario Reyes: Brazil Independence Cup 1972, Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation, 27 June 2007.
- Eliézer Sebastián Pérez Pérez: Brazil Independence Cup 1972 – Additional Details, RSSSF, 6 July 2007.
External links
- Sala de troféus Confederação Brasileira de Futebol, 27 May 2011. (Information about the Taça Independência)
- Tournament: Taça Independência (Mini-Copa), EU-Football.info (details about matches with European participation)

