– That would be wonderful. Bolsonaro would have been re-elected president, Brazil would be world champions and everyone would be happy.
Brazilian soccer superstar Neymar dreamed (you switch to another service) on the eve of the country’s presidential election, to a far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro election victory. The 30-year-old striker, who campaigned for Bolsonaro, planned to dedicate his opening goal at the World Cup in Qatar to the president he deeply admires.
Neymar’s statements sharply divided opinions. Bolsonaro has become known for, among other things, his racist and homophobic statements, the noticeable loosening of gun laws and the destruction of the Amazon rainforest.
Connections to the former president of the United States to Donald Trump there is much that is not a miracle. Bolsonaro has spoken openly that he is a big fan of Trump.
Neymar is not the only high-profile Brazilian athlete who pushed Bolsonaro to re-election in the presidential election at the end of October. The far-right candidate was openly supported by many current and former star footballers such as Thiago Silva, Dani Alves, Felipe Melo, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Cafú and Romario.
The election ended narrowly in favor of the Labor Party Luiz Inásio Lula da Silva i.e. to Lula’s victory, which was a clear disappointment for these sports giants. Although Bolsonaro’s time at the head of the country ended, during his reign (2019–2022) he got a significant part of Brazil’s worshiped football heroes on his side.
During Bolsonaro’s presidency, Brazil’s fabled canary yellow jersey became a symbol of the extreme right and its supporters.
– Some football fans are ashamed to wear a yellow shirt these days. Many people don’t want to wear it, because that way they are labeled as a supporter of Bolsonaro. The far right kidnapped a shirt that used to belong to the whole nation, a professor familiar with football history João Malaia Santa Maria University says to Urheilu.
“The whole world sees those pictures”
The yellow football shirt was used as a political weapon even before Bolsonaro’s years in power.
João Malaia mentions the large demonstrations of 2013, where citizens demanded the then president Dilma Rousseff to account for weak public services and corruption. Then the national team shirt was put on by people who oppose Rousseff and her government.
Little by little, far-right groups began to use their own shirts and the Brazilian flag. The phenomenon became even more pronounced under Bolsonaro. Before the presidential election at the end of October, he urged his supporters to go to the polls wearing a yellow national team shirt.
– Now we are in a situation where the Brazilian Football Association has launched black and blue national team jerseys to take a stand against these political groups. However, breaking away from politics is difficult. The whole world sees pictures of Bolsonaro’s supporters dressed in yellow shirts refusing to accept the results of the presidential election, says Malaia.
– Those of us who support democracy find it difficult to wear that shirt.
A former national team player Jair Rosa Pinto Jair Bolsonaro, 67, who was named after him, has used football to unabashedly consolidate his power. The long-time politician has created close relationships with the leading figures and famous players of major football clubs such as Flamengo and Palmeiras.
According to critics, the gesture indicates fickleness and disloyalty in a country that swears by loyalty to consequences.
One of Bolsonaro’s most valuable supporters has been soccer superstar Neymar. The striker, who represents Paris Saint-Germain at the club team level, urged his millions of social media followers on several occasions to vote for Bolsonaro as president.
Neymar’s campaigning irritated many Brazilians, as Bolsonaro’s administration is feared to be destructive to democracy and the climate, among other things.
When Bolsonaro’s rival Lula was asked about Neymar’s campaigning, he thought it was due to the tax breaks agreed between the soccer star and Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro allegedly forgave Neymar and his father large tax debts.
– The president has very similar values to me and my family. We cherish our family, our nation and our children, Neymar reasoned.
According to João Malaia, the timing of Neymar’s public outings was a surprise, because the head coach of the national team Tite had hoped that the players would not get involved in politics as the World Cup approached.
– Before the elections, many Brazilian football media wrote about the contract between the national team players and Tite. According to it, no one would publicly take a position on behalf of either presidential candidate. Tite didn’t want a split, because the national team also has players who oppose Bolsonaro, Malaia explains.
– Suddenly, Neymar started campaigning for Bolsonaro. It must have annoyed some of his teammates.
Lula, who will become president in 2023, has supporters in the football world, such as the one who plays for Tottenham Richarlison and representing Bayer Leverkusen Paulinho. However, there are significantly fewer of them in public than players who openly support Bolsonaro and the extreme right. How has Bolsonaro won them over?
– The majority of football stars come from really poor families. They haven’t had the chance to get an education because they have devoted all their time to a football career. They have cleared their way to the top with their own help, so it is easy for them to identify with the values of the extreme right, where everyone is responsible for their own success. They feel that the state does not need to help anyone, Malaia says.
Like Neymar, many players are also very religious, so Bolsonaro’s conservative rhetoric and slogan “God, country and religion” sinks in well with them.
– Taking all this into account, it’s no surprise that so many top players support Bolsonaro. There are more surprises with players like Paulinho, who publicly supported Lula.
Brazil’s ugly political game was visible in sports circles. The F1 world champion known as a passionate supporter of Bolsonaro Nelson Piquet declared that after the presidential election was over, Lula belonged in the cemetery. A police investigation has been launched into the comments.
Former top soccer player Donato called the people to a revolution if Lula won the election. Barcelona and national team legend Rivaldo caused controversy when he wrote that there was still a lot to happen before December 31. On that day, Bolsonaro should hand over power to Lula.
There are numerous similar exits. They illustrate how deeply divided the Brazilian people are at the moment, and soccer circles are no exception.
– I feel sick when I see players like Neymar supporting fascists. We come from modest circumstances and represent the people. How can we be on the other side then? former national team player Juninho Pernambucano wondered recently.
According to Malaya, it will take several more years before the iconic yellow jersey becomes the jersey of the entire nation again.
– Lula’s election victory is not enough in itself. The extreme right is really organized, it has the support of big companies and it uses social media really well to promote its interests and spread fake news. The whole society must fight for the people to unite and for democracy to become strong.
Advance favorites on the World Cup fields
Although the streets of Brazil are in turmoil, historian Malaia believes that the World Cup team playing in Qatar will not let political differences affect their performance. According to him, stars like Neymar who earn millions will not be left to mourn Bolsonaro’s election loss for a very long time.
There is no time for political debates anyway, because the players have perhaps the most important task of their careers in front of them: to bring the World Cup trophy to a nation that has been delirious about the king’s sport after a 20-year hiatus.
Experts even consider the strong Brazilian team as the biggest pre-favorite to become the world champion.
– Brazil has extremely good individuals in these games. At the same time, the team is clearly under less pressure than in the home games in 2014 or the following World Cup in Russia in 2018.
– The fans’ expectations are more moderate now, just like at the time of the two previous world championships (1994 and 2002), Malaia reflects.
Although many leave the yellow shirt in the closet, tens of millions of Brazilians have one common dream at the World Cup.
– I’m going to wear the green national team shirt myself. I’m worried about the state of our country, but when Brazil plays in the World Cup, only football matters, says Malaia.