Watch: Brazilian players, manager want no part of president Bolsonaro
Jair Bolsonaro has been described many ways.
Add “ghosted by famous soccer figures” to the mix.
The Brazilian president handed out winners’ medals to Brazil after its Copa America triumph on Sunday, but Philippe Coutinho, Marquinhos and manager Tite didn’t appear interested in his sentiments.
Coutinho, as you can see below, pried himself away from Bolsonaro as quickly as possible, while Marquinhos just straight walked by him:
Marquinhos passando reto pelo Bolsonaro.wmv pic.twitter.com/JOQlmoadPG
— Danilo Sanches (@danilo_sanches) July 7, 2019
Tite, meanwhile, put up with Bolsonaro about as long as he could:
Lmao notice how Tite greets Bolsonaro and then the CBF president. pic.twitter.com/eel7kaJ5PO
— Billy M (@Wideoverload) July 7, 2019
Bolsonaro was even booed at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro:
President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro is booed at the Copa America final. #CopaAmerica2019 #brazil pic.twitter.com/7nefA4cY9A
— C H A P M A N (@GentseMarteko) July 7, 2019
Ouch.
It’s fairly unusual to see soccer luminaries stage such public dissent for politicians. (Well, at least outside the United States at the moment.)
Who is Bolsonaro? He’s the “Trump of the Tropics”, a politician who regularly demeans women and minorities, favors “profits over preservation” when it comes to the environment and admires Brazil’s military dictatorship of the past, among other things.
Do Coutinho, Marquinhos and Tite’s actions make a little more sense now?
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