Status: 13.06.2021 02:51 a.m.
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Football crazy? There is little evidence of this in Brazil before the Copa America starts tomorrow. Because within days, despite widespread criticism, the country stepped in as the host – above all because the president wanted it that way.
By Matthias Ebert,
ARD-Studio Rio de Janeiro
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It was in the middle of a live broadcast when sports commentator Luís Roberto broke the collar. At the end of May, the Brazilian government spontaneously agreed to host the world’s oldest football tournament, the Copa America. Shortly before, the originally intended hosts Argentina and Colombia had to cancel – because of the corona situation and social unrest.
Matthias Ebert
ARD-Studio Rio de Janeiro
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Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro reacted just hours later and offered his country as the host. The corona situation in Brazil is still tense. The number of victims is just under 500,000.
That’s why Luís Roberto suddenly rumbled live on TV: “It takes Pfizer nine months to answer Pfizer – the CONMEBOL (the South American association; Note d. editorial staff) he agrees in ten minutes. “The outburst against Bolsonaro immediately went viral and reached millions of Brazilians.
No rush with the vaccine
The background to this is the much-criticized Brazilian vaccination campaign. A parliamentary commission of inquiry recently revealed that the Brazilian government had received several offers from vaccine manufacturer Pfizer / BioNTech in 2020. Still, Bolsonaro did not react at all for months. Pfizer even asked the Brazilian embassy in the US why there was no answer.
It wasn’t until March 2021 that Brazil ordered millions of vaccine doses from Pfizer / BioNTech. As a result, valuable time was lost to get the situation in the virus mutant area under control. “Many lives could have been saved,” said the microbiologist Natalia Pasternak recently before the commission.
Even the football fans are amazed
The Copa América is now taking place in four Brazilian states ruled by political allies of Bolsonaro. But the dispute over the tournament has long since reached the whole country. Even die-hard football fans cannot understand why you have to go through all of this now.
After all, unlike the European Championship, the Copa America is held every two years. “You could have skipped it this year,” says Renato Moraes from Rio. Especially since the World Cup qualification for Qatar 2022, which is taking place in parallel, is currently also being played in South America.
No football tournament can dispel this reality: At the national stadium in Brasilia (Brazil), a drive-through center offers corona tests.
Build: AP
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A matter for the president
But in the end Bolsonaro prevailed and put pressure on the national team personally. Because at times a boycott of the superstars around Neymar was in the air. The popular national coach Tite is said to have been against the Copa America. He was indirectly threatened with expulsion. Finally, Brazil’s ball wizards agreed to play.
However, there is still rumbling within the team. Together with national team captain Casemiro and Marquinhos, Neymar is said to have been one of the players who spoke out against the tournament in an appeal, according to the newspaper “Folha de S. Paulo”. “We are against the organization of the Copa America, but we will never say no to the Brazilian national team,” it reads. In other words, participation was grudgingly due to political pressure.
Football instead of Corona
It is quite possible that Bolsonaro wants to use the tournament to distract from his much-criticized corona crisis management. The Copa America took place in Brazil in 2019. In the end, the president was surrounded by celebrating players with the winner’s trophy on the lawn. A clear PR success for the right-wing extremist.
An image that Bolsonaro did not miss: In July 2019, he celebrated Brazil’s victory over Peru in the final of the Copa America with the players of the “Selecao”.
Image: AFP
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Bolsonaro could use these pictures again now, as he is currently behind his possible challenger, ex-president Lula da Silva, in polls. Brazil are highly favored in the tournament that the hosts open today against Venezuela.
Most recently, Bolsonaro had also commented on the outburst of sports commentator Luís Roberto. This should keep his mouth shut. “What is missing is that he lets his pants down and shows his white bum,” rumbled Brazil’s head of state. With massive pressure he ensured that football finally became a political issue and divided the largest country in South America.
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