Intro:

Professional football in Brazil struggling despite the billions being spent there to host the World Cup.

Script:

Despite the billions being spent on the World Cup in Brazil, professional football in the host nation is struggling, with lower-division teams unable to play enough games, players forced to take multiple jobs and even top-tier teams competing in mostly empty stadiums.

Presidente Prudente, based in a city by the same name about 560 kilometres (350 miles) from Sao Paulo, plays in front of fewer than 400 fans in most of its matches at the city's 45,000-capacity stadium.

The team's monthly payroll is about $9,000 and the funds that keep the club running come from sponsorships from a local supermarket and a local tool shop.

Many players need second jobs.

Prudente midfielder, 24-year-old Rogerio Salvato Jr, makes more money delivering takeout food than he does playing for the club.

He hopes that playing for Presidente Prudente will act as a stepping stone to getting a contract that gives him a good salary - and to change the lives of the people who have helped him.

Of the nearly 20,000 professional players in Brazil, about 16,000 earn less than $650 a month.