io de Janeiro giants Flamengo
won the local Taca Guanabara
tournament in February, coming
from behind to beat humble
opponents Boavista 2-1 in the
Final, with the decisive goal
scored by Gabriel Barbosa.
Nothing much of a surprise there as the game
went to form and the match winner lived up to
his “Gabi-goal” moniker.
But there was something very different about Fla’s
star striker. Instead of the usual number nine on his
back, Barbosa was wearing the number 24 shirt –
which until recently would have been unthinkable.
The explanation comes with a convoluted history
lesson. Back in 1892, when Baron Drummond was
thinking of ways to raise funds for his zoo in Rio,
he came up with the idea of a lottery in which each
number bore a relation to one of his animals. His
invention, the jogo do bicho (“animal game”) proved
a smash success. Although technically illegal, the
lottery is tolerated and still runs today. And although
it has long since lost any connection with the zoo,
a link remains between one of the numbers and an
animal – and 24 is the number of the deer.
The word “deer” (veado in Portuguese) is a
pejorative term for a homosexual and it is all
encompassing. In any situation of conflict it is usually
the first word employed to insult a man and it echoes
around football stadiums with depressing banality.
Brazil is, after all, a traditional macho society.
Twenty four never usually appears on Brazilian
team sheets, while in continental competitions, where
number 1 to 30 are compulsory, the shirt will be
handed to someone with little chance of making an
appearance, hidden away with a reserve keeper. Andfor the country’s international stars the fact that
World Cup squads only go up to 23 is a huge relief.
But then Corinthians signed midfielder Victor
Cantillo from Colombian side Junior. Having
traditionally worn 24 in his homeland, where the
number has no such connotations, Cantillo was told
by Corinthians director Duilio Monteiro Alves at his
official presentation in January that he would have
to choose a different number because no one at the
club would be using 24.
It was a foolish remark, for which Duilio later
apologized, and it provoked a backlash. Why
shouldn’t Cantillo, or any other player for that
matter, wear the number 24?
In the forefront of the reaction were Bahia, a club
that in recent times has been known to frequently
take progressive positions.
“Football is a channel that can be used to
accentuate the worst in our society such as racism,
aggression, violence and intolerance,” said Bahia
president Guilherme Bellintani. “But it can also befail to turn up for a league game
against Al Ahly.
KOSOVO: Seventeen-year-old Ilija
Ivic, who plays for Flamurtari, says
he will join Kosovo’s under-19 squad
despite his mother being fired from
her local government job following
his decision to become the first
Kosovan Serb to accept a call-up.
SOUTH KOREA: The start of the
new K League season is postponed
due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Tuesday February 25
GREECE: UEFA president
Aleksander Ceferin meets Greek
prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis
and agrees to assist the Greek
Football Federation in curbing
violence and corruption in its
professional leagues.
ITALY: Dries Mertens scores for
Napoli in their 1-1 draw at home
to Barcelona in the Champions
League to equal Marek Hamsik’s
record of 121 goals for the club.
ZIMBABWE: Following a CAF
inspection, Zimbabwe is barred
from hosting international games
until further notice after the
country’s three main stadiums -
Barbourfields, Mandava and the
National Sports Stadium - fail to
meet required standards.
Wednesday February 26
BRAZIL: Flamengo coach Jorge
Jesus collects his fifth trophy in
eight months as a 3-0 victory over
Independiente Del Valle gives his
side a 5-2 aggregate win in the
Recopa Sudamericana.
Thursday February 27
FIFA: From next season, clubs will
be restricted to eight international
loans in and out, subject to the
approval of FIFA’s players’ status
committee and FIFA Council. This
figure will drop to six loans in and
out from the 2022-23 campaign.
Saturday February 29
ENGLAND: After 18 successive wins
in all competitions, Liverpool lose
3-0 at Watford and miss out on
a new record for an English top-
flight team. Defeat ends a 44-game
unbeaten run in the Premier League.
ITALY: Lazio beat Bologna 2-0 to
go top of Serie A for the first time
since 2010.
Sunday March 1
ENGLAND: Manchester City beat
Aston Villa 2-1 to win the League
Cup for a third successive season.
GEORGIA: Formed just four years
ago, Telavi make their debut in the
Georgian top flight and draw 0-0
The power of
twenty four
Shirt number has become
a heated political issue
Brazil
TIM VICKERY
Statement...
Gabriel Barbosa
celebrates his
winner against
BoavistaChange
...Victor
Cantillo“We think that clubs have
to choose whether they will
be channels for love or
hate. We choose love”
Bahia president Guilherme BellintaniR