The gold candidate Brazil’s World Cup team has aroused admiration but also polemics. At Tuesday’s press conference, it was great to do a great PR job, writes Jelena Leppänen.
Brazil’s World Cup team’s moves on the field, spectacular goals and the dances after them have captured hearts at the controversial World Cup in Qatar. The quarter-final against South Korea was a spectacular victory not only for the team but also for incredible football skills.
One of the most talked about players in the big-name group has been the Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior. Vinicius, who rose from the brutal conditions of the Rio de Janeiro favela to the top at the age of 22, is already a superstar whose dance moves and big smile have become a global trademark.
So it’s no wonder that Vinicius had enough questions on Wednesday, when the Brazilian team, which is preparing for the quarterfinals, held a press conference at Al Arabi SC Stadium in Doha.
However, Vinicius was not allowed to be in the spotlight alone. In the middle of the event, a cat that got into the press room jumped onto the table, which was most obviously one of the numerous stray cats moving around the area.
O caso do gato left countless people with anything but an elegant image.
Answering the journalists’ questions, Vinicius reacted to the appearance of the animal with a happy laugh. The smile turned to surprise when Brazil’s press officer Vinicius Rodrigues grabbed the cat’s back with both hands and dropped it to the floor.
Rodrigues’ actions made headlines around the world and aroused strong criticism (you switch to another service). The incident has been covered in a very literal way in Brazil and elsewhere in South America, where the presence of cats is widely perceived to bring good luck, depending of course on how they are treated.
The animal rights organization PETA also reacted to the incident, which considered Rodrigues’ act to be rude and heavy-handed.
The cat’s fate became such a big question that Brazil’s head coach Of course got to answer it at his own press conference on Thursday. The coach took the question with humor and asked to address it directly to Rodrigues.
– I didn’t do anything to the cat, I moved it aside. I don’t treat animals badly. I know how social media has reacted to this, but I can’t help it, the press officer commented to the Argentine media La Vozin (you switch to another service) by.
A missed opportunity
Even though the cat seemed to be fine after the incident, it is clear that the representative of the world’s most iconic football team made a big mistake at an international press conference.
The representative of the animal kingdom who jumped onto the table aroused a lot of sympathy and joy in those present. One can only imagine what kind of hit photos and memes spread around the world about the smiling Brazilian golden dog Vinicius and the cat would have been obtained if the animal had been allowed to stay on the table longer and then gently lowered to the floor.
To be honest, I don’t think Rodrigues intended to harm the animal. However, the image is often built from small details, gestures and attention, especially towards the smaller ones. Now O caso do gato, or the cat lady, left countless people with anything but an elegant image.
A more down-to-earth image wouldn’t have hurt the Brazilian team anyway.
The beloved World Cup team has also caused controversy in its home country after Vinicius junior, Eder Militão, Gabriel Jesus and the legend of yesteryear Ronaldo was photographed in a Qatari luxury restaurant eating meat covered in 24 carat gold. Many have liked it to be ugly (you switch to another service)that star soccer players in Qatar are eating gilded dishes worth thousands of euros, while tens of millions of people in Brazil are suffering from hunger.