In June 2013, more than two million people took to the streets of Brazilian cities in what came to be known as the ‘Vinegar Revolt’ or ‘Brazilian Autumn’. In Belo Horizonte, an unfinished overpass constructed for the World Cup collapsed only yesterday, killing two people on a bus while others were trapped inside. During the Chile-Spain match in Rio de Janeiro, 25-year-old Afonso Maurício Linhares was shot and killed by the police as he was refereeing a local football match in the Manguinhos favela just 6km from the stadium. It is these very groups who are being evicted, priced out, repressed and shot at for the sake of FIFA’s mega-event. Megastars Romário, Pelé, Ronaldo and Jairzinho all grew up in favelas. Football in Brazil owes much of its fame and vibrancy to the most vulnerable social groups. The World Cup is a bitter topic for many Brazilians, already angry at an undemocratic and regressive use of public funds. As the World Cup enters its fourth week, tensions mount in the stadiums but more so in the streets outside, with protests accompanying most matches. England’s team may have returned home, but eyes remain on Brazil.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |