Neymar Jr.: Brazilian soccer star faces criticism for Bolsonaro assist

Muricas News  — 

Simply days forward of Brazil’s nationwide elections on Sunday, soccer star Neymar Jr. has appeared in a marketing campaign video endorsing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

The Paris Saint-Germain ahead and Brazil captain appeared on a TikTok video singing Bolsonaro’s marketing campaign jingle during which he lip synchs, “Vote, vote, and press ‘affirm’ for 22, that’s Bolsonaro,” in reference to the Brazil president’s official poll quantity.

The video was additionally posted to Neymar’s private TikTok account on Thursday.

Neymar’s endorsement comes a day after Bolsonaro visited the footballer’s non-profit group, Instituto Projeto Neymar Jr, within the state of Sao Paulo.

The video of Bolsonaro touring the institute, which appears to create alternatives by way of training and sports activities initiatives for low-income households and kids within the metropolis of Praia Grande, was posted on the Institute’s official Twitter account.

Though Neymar was not in a position to host the President in individual, he despatched him a video message from Paris, the place he had simply performed in a pleasant with the Brazilian nationwide group, serving to safe a 5-1 victory towards Tunisia, which was Brazil’s remaining recreation forward of the World Cup in Qatar later this 12 months.

Nonetheless, Neymar’s present of assist has sparked criticism, with Brazilian comic Yuri Marçal drawing consideration to Bolsonaro’s traditionally antagonistic relationship with indigenous Brazilians.

Responding to the criticism he has confronted for his assist of Bolsonaro, Neymar tweeted on Friday that, “They discuss democracy and quite a lot of issues, however when somebody has a special opinion they're attacked by the very individuals who discuss democracy. Go determine.”

The Brazil group’s distinctive yellow jersey is an emblem that unites the nation by way of a love of soccer and nationwide pleasure, however in recent times the shirt’s adoption by proper wing supporters of Bolsonaro, who put on it at protests and rallies to indicate their political allegiance to the Brazilian president has provoked controversy.

Walter Casagrande, a former footballer for the Brazilian nationwide group and the São Paulo membership Corinthians, remembers the sensation of scoring a aim whereas sporting the yellow jersey in his first match with the “Selecao” in 1985.

“It was a magical factor,” Casagrande advised Muricas News Sport in 2020, “like an enchanted object that gave me large emotion.

“Now I think about the Brazilian yellow jersey to have been kidnapped and appropriated by the suitable wing, so we can not use it,” added Casagrande, whose sentiments lie on the left aspect of the political chasm.

Casagrande mentioned that for him the ability of the yellow shirt was once that it represented democracy and freedom.

“Brazil is showing horribly to the world proper now,” he mentioned two years in the past. “It’s the primary time in my life I’m seeing the yellow jersey getting used towards democracy and freedom.”

Neymar’s assist for Bolsonaro could possibly be well timed given a nationwide opinion ballot launched on Thursday that claims former Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva is forward of the incumbent president by 14 factors for the primary spherical of voting within the nation’s upcoming presidential elections on October 2.

The nationwide ballot from Datafolha Institute launched by Folha de S. Paulo newspaper exhibits Lula would win 50% of votes versus Bolsonaro’s 36% excluding invalid and clean votes and undecided voters.

Whoever will get 50% plus one vote would win the election outright with out the necessity for a second-round runoff.

In 2014, on the eve of the presidential first spherical vote, Neymar recorded a video declaring his assist for Aécio Neves of the centrist PSDB social gathering, who was defeated by Dilma Rousseff of the left-wing Employee’s Get together within the second spherical.

In 2010, Neymar publicized his assembly with Lula, then president, on his social networks.

“Me and Paulo Henrique Ganso simply met the President of the Republic, very cool! It is going to be marked for the remainder of your life!”, he wrote on the time.

Neymar’s fellow Seleção ahead Lucas Moura has additionally not too long ago come out in assist of Bolsonaro saying on the Cara a Tapa podcast: “I don’t see any good presidential candidate, however I can’t deny that Bolsonaro is the man who comes closest to what I imagine.”

Lula not too long ago acquired a vote of confidence from Anitta, Brazil’s greatest popstar and likewise garnered widespread assist from celebrities overseas together with US actors Mark Ruffalo and Danny Glover and British musician Roger Waters.