The former Barcelona duo will have their presence at the club reduced
Barcelona have decided to distance themselves from legendary Brazilian duo Ronaldinho and Rivaldo in the wake of the pair’s public support of the far-right Brazilian presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro.
Many at the Camp Nou are said to have been shocked at the former Barca players’ support for Bolsonaro given his misogynistic and racist comments and proposed policies.
The Brazilian general elections were held on October 7, with Bolsonaro – a congressman for Rio De Janeiro – coming first by a distance. Despite this Bolsonaro failed to win by the margin required to declare outright victory.
Similar in his style of populist politics and policies to US president Donald Trump, Bolsonaro refers to himself as an outsider and a supporter of family values, and has pushed for Brazil to have stronger ties with the US and Israel. He has been married three times and has in the past been forced to sack staff due to nepotism.
He has also been labeled by some as a fascist, and has previously said that he would rather his son die than come out as gay.
“Our democratic values do not coincide with what we have heard from this candidate,” said Barcelona spokesman Josep Vives on the topic. “We do respect the freedom of expression including the words of Ronaldinho.”
Ronaldinho has recently called upon his social media followers to vote for Bolsonaro for a “for a better Brazil”, while Rivaldo has also put his support behind the candidate.
According to a report in Sport English, Barcelona are reluctant to publicly position themselves against Ronaldinho, though they will reduce his appearances at public events and Legends games.
