Brazil’s prime footballers lean towards Bolsonaro in polarized race By Reuters

By Gabriel Araujo

SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Just a few days earlier than Brazil’s first spherical of voting on this month’s common election, a 13-second TikTok video electrified supporters of President Jair Bolsonaro: soccer star Neymar popping out in favor of his re-election bid.

The video posted on Sep. 29 confirmed Neymar dancing to a marketing campaign jingle highlighting Bolsonaro’s place on the poll, and the president was fast to share it on social media.

Even because the Paris St Germain ahead stored mum on his put up aside from lip-syncing the track, the transfer threw down the gauntlet for different footballers to point out their help for the far-right chief, together with internationals Thiago Silva and Daniel Alves.

With out mentioning Bolsonaro by identify, they shared posts with a few of his catch phrases, together with slogans in style with Brazil’s evangelical Christians, who again him overwhelmingly. In a rustic the place evangelical church buildings have made main inroads in poorer communities, eroding the Catholic majority, many footballers put on their evangelical religion on their sleeve.

“There may be this slogan that I like,” Alves mentioned, utilizing a inventory Bolsonaro phrase: “Brazil above every part, God above all.”

Bolsonaro misplaced the primary spherical to his leftist challenger Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva by a tighter-than-expected margin, organising an Oct. 30 runoff.

The outpouring on social media bolstered the rising anecdotal proof that a lot of Brazil’s most outstanding soccer gamers now lean to the precise.

Many gamers favor conservative politicians due to their very own life tales, mentioned sports activities commentator Juca Kfouri, noting that almost all soccer stars in Brazil come from poor neighborhoods and attain stardom via their very own abilities.

“So that they are usually self-centered and repeat that authoritarian speech about meritocracy,” mentioned Kfouri, who has endorsed Lula.

Anthropologist Roberto DaMatta additionally highlighted soccer as an vital software for development in Brazil, however added that with out deeper analysis it might be troublesome to succeed in a agency conclusion about gamers’ political preferences throughout the board.

“It will be fairly speculative.”

‘WE’RE ON THE SAME SIDE’

Neymar’s video has been watched practically 60 million instances on Bolsonaro’s Instagram account alone.

Whereas sharing it, the president linked his potential victory to the record-extending sixth World Cup title Brazil will pursue this yr in Qatar.

Earlier than Neymar, the likes of Tottenham Hotspur’s Lucas Moura and Fluminense’s Felipe Melo had thrown their lot in with Bolsonaro, however the endorsement from the nationwide crew’s quantity 10 triggered a fair wider response. He was joined by retired gamers akin to 2002 world champion Rivaldo and former Inter Milan goalkeeper Julio Cesar.

“Neymar, we’re on the identical facet once more,” Cesar mentioned.

Lula has additionally gathered a handful of soccer endorsements, however fewer present stars.

Lots of his most outstanding supporters within the sport are former gamers linked to Brazil’s Nineteen Eighties marketing campaign to finish army dictatorship, akin to former Brazil worldwide Walter Casagrande Junior.

As a union chief on the time, Lula was a thorn within the facet of the generals who dominated the nation for twenty years – a army regime which Bolsonaro has been fast to defend.

“I am not a radical leftist, I am only for democracy,” Casagrande instructed Reuters. “We live in chaos. The Bolsonaro administration is destroying the nation.”

Former Brazil supervisor Vanderlei Luxemburgo, Lyon icon Juninho Pernambucano and 1994 world champion Rai are additionally backing Lula. Rai’s older brother, the late soccer star Socrates, marched towards the army regime and began a pro-democracy motion alongside Casagrande on the Corinthians membership within the Nineteen Eighties.

Awarding a prize named after Socrates on the Ballon d’Or ceremony on Monday, Rai made an “L” signal along with his hand whereas citing Brazil’s election, a widely known signal of help for Lula.

Amongst present gamers, Bayer (OTC:) Leverkusen ahead Paulinho and Vizela right-back Igor Juliao have been among the many few to overtly again the previous president, who ruled from 2003 to 2010.

High footballers’ embrace of Bolsonaro has jibed with a rising custom amongst conservative Brazilians who don the nationwide crew’s well-known yellow jersey in avenue demonstrations, as Bolsonaro himself has accomplished often.

Will the gamers’ political stance have an effect on Brazilians’ help for them within the World Cup?

“I do not assume so,” Kfouri mentioned. “When the matches begin, folks neglect all of it”.