Brazilian Olympic athletes criticize soccer squad: “They are not part of the team and they don’t care”

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazil closed a spectacular performance in Tokyo 2020 with a total of 21 medals, 7 of them gold, a new record for the South American nation.

The total haul was 7 gold, 6 silver and 8 bronze medals, thus breaking the all-time record of 19 medals (7-6-6) achieved when it hosted Rio 2016. But glory is not necessarily synonymous with harmony.

One of the gold medals was won by the national soccer team that defeated Spain 2-1 in the final. On the podium, the players celebrated with their jerseys on instead of wearing the special uniform bought by the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) and worn by all other athletes during each award ceremony.

“The Brazilian Olympic Committee repudiates the behavior of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) and of the national soccer team players during the men’s tournament award ceremony. For the moment, the Committee’s energies are fully focused on continuing the work that resulted in Brazil’s best participation in the history of the Olympic Games. Therefore, only after the end of the Games will the COB announce the measures to be taken to preserve the rights of the Olympic Movement, other athletes and our sponsors,” the organization said in a harsh statement.

The image of soccer players with their jackets tied around their waists was taken as an insult by the Brazilian Olympic sport managers and even by some athletes, such as Bruno Fratus. The 50-meter freestyle bronze medalist in Tokyo used social networks to express his repudiation.

“The message (from the soccer team) was clear: they are not part of the team and they don’t care. They are also completely alienated and disconnected from the consequences that this can have on countless athletes who are not millionaires like them,” he said.

For its part, the ‘Canarinha’, Brazil’s soccer squad, was proclaimed a repeat Olympic champion on Saturday after defeating Spain in the final.

Soccer at the Olympic Games has long been a source of disagreement between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Football Federation (FIFA), to which the CBF is affiliated.

Brazil finished 12th in the medal standings as Latin America’s top representative for the second consecutive Games.

Behind them were Cuba with 15 medals (7-3-5) and Ecuador with three (2-1-0). The Brazilian record was achieved despite the fact that some prior medal-winning athletes, such as surfer Gabriel Medina and the beach volleyball teams, as well as the men’s volleyball team, left Japan with no medals.

Source: Infobae