Cristiano Ronaldo Darwin Núñez Beth Mead Luiz Inácio Lula Da-Silva Britain Manchester Qatar Brazil Saudi Arabia county Lyon Liverpool Premier League cup Cristiano Ronaldo Darwin Núñez Beth Mead Luiz Inácio Lula Da-Silva Britain Manchester Qatar Brazil Saudi Arabia county Lyon Liverpool

Brazil jersey hostage to politics a month from World Cup

arabnews.com

BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil: Every four years, there is an explosion of green and yellow in Julio Cesar Freitas’s neighborhood as locals cover the streets in the colors of the Brazilian flag.

But this year, Freitas felt compelled to add an explanation alongside the sea of decorations outside his family’s construction supply shop: “It’s not politics, it’s the World Cup.” Football-mad Brazil is famously passionate about the World Cup, which it has won more than any other country — five times.

But this year, the signs of football fever have taken on a different meaning. Battling to win reelection in an Oct. 30 runoff against veteran leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro has adopted the flag and the national football team’s jersey as symbols of his own.

Bolsonaro regularly sports the colors of the flag, his rallies are drenched in yellow and green, and he urged supporters to wear the national team Selecao’s iconic jersey to vote in the first-round election on Oct.

Related News
Twice world champions Uruguay were once a dominant force in world football and while their star does not shine as brightly as it once did they can still make plenty of noise in Qatar with their blend of hardened veterans and exuberant youngsters.
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been named the best player in the world five times, will arrive in Qatar with a mission to prove that he can still make a difference.
Following is a statbox on Portugal at the World Cup.
Portugal defender Ruben Dias says they are even more motivated to win the World Cup this year because the tournament could be the last for their golden generation of players.
England forward Beth Mead said on Thursday (Nov 3) she would not show her support for this year's men's World Cup in Qatar where homosexuality is illegal.
The 2022 World Cup gets underway in three weeks' time in Qatar, with France hoping to become the first team to successfully defend the title since Brazil 60 years ago.

Latest News

Change privacy settings
This page might use cookies if your analytics vendor requires them.