used to serve different purposes: to spread culture,
affection, sensibility, improving human relations.
“We think that clubs have to choose whether they
will be channels for love or hate. We choose love.”
And so, before January was out, Bahia midfielder
Flavio was also proudly wearing the number 24 shirt.
A campaign, “ask for the 24”, was launched and others
were quick to follow. Alan Ruschel of Chapecoense, a
survivor of the club’s air tragedy, took up the cause, as
did Fluminense’s veteran attacking midfielder Nene.
It is undeniable that impetus was added by the tragic
death of Kobe Bryant, the basketball star who had
often worn that number, and donning the 24 could
also be seen as a tribute to him. But it was also striking
that players were keen to associate themselves with the
anti-homophobic message.
This might come across as a paradox, since Brazil
has a far-right government which appears to be
concerned more than anything else with promoting
social conservatism. Supporters of the country’s
president, Jair Bolsonaro, speak endlessly of so-called
“family values” and he himself has a long track record
of homophobic statements. Last year, in New York,
Bolsonaro declared: “Brazil can’t be the country of
gay tourism. We have families.” And yet the world
of Brazilian football, which has broadly supported
Bolsonaro, has with surprising speed adopted a
pro-tolerance position.
The battle will doubtlessly rage for many years to
come. One judge in the sports justice system recently
ruled that a terrace chant of “time of veados” was not
homophobic – which left an obvious question: if that is
not homophobic, then what is? When asked, the judge
was unable to formulate a coherent reply. But society is
advancing and last year Brazil’s Supreme Court ruled
that homophobia is a crime.
Any stigma or controversy around the number 24
shirt will now have surely been laid to rest.
Gabriel Barbosa is currently the biggest star in the
domestic game. Not only is he wearing the shirt and
scoring decisive goals with it, he is also helping to see
off an old taboo.WORLD SERVICE
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