Brazil leader wants football back despite coronavirus pandemic

right-wing populist president of Brazil wants football season to resume even though five-time World Cup-winning country is a hotspot of coronavirus pandemic. Brazil is for many synymous with football and many of all-time greats, from Pele to Neymar, hail from nation. But Brazil is is also epicentre of Latin America's coronavirus outbreak.

Brazil leer wants football back

death toll from coronavirus in Brazil has hit 27,878, official figures showed on Friday, surpassing toll of hard-hit Spain and making it country with fifth-highest number of fatalities. Football has been suspended in Brazil since mid-March but President Jair Bolsonaro recently told Rio Guaiba that footballers would likely t fall very ill with COVID-19.

"As footballers are young athletes risk of death if y catch coronavirus would be dramatically reduced," Bolsonaro said.

Back in March Bolsonaro also claimed that thanks to his own sporting past he would only suffer a slight cold if he caught virus. president says his chief motivation for wanting football to get back underway is to curb unemployment and misery that accompanies it. " players have to survive somehow," he said, explaining that while some top footballers earn a fortune, those from smaller regional leagues need to play "to feed ir families".

way Brazilian politics works, it is t in Bolsonaro's remit to restart football. This must be done by regional states and municipalities. When football was suspended, seasons at regional level were underway, but national championship h been due to start in May and as yet re are solid plans to begin. Bolsonaro and his son held meetings on May 19 with presidents of two Rio superclubs, Vasco da Gama and Flamengo.

Photos of Bolsonaro and his son wearing shirts of two clubs stunned social media, with official supporter groups claiming ir im h been sold out to politics. "This is just political intolerance," said Flamengo president Rodolfo Landim, explaining that Bolsonaro just wants football back as soon as possible and he himself "is defending interests of Flamengo."  day after meeting Flamengo were filmed by a TV Globo helicopter breaking Rio lockdown rules by training without permission.

Rio state health secretary Ana Beatriz Bush said act of defiance set a terrible example. "Imagine all young people who see Flamengo training, y'll want to go out of ir homes and that is t possible," she said. Rio mayor Marcelo Crivella, however, has authorised training to resume in June and sees matches taking place behind closed doors sometime in July.

Rio's two or major clubs, Fluminense and Botafogo, are on record as saying this seems premature. One of Brazil's top sports journalists, Mauro Cezar Pereira, of ESPN Brazil also feels it is too soon. "It reflects fact that some clubs are deeply in debt and dependant on brocasting income. Bundesliga restart intensified rush. But unlike in Germany, infection curve is still climbing in Brazil."  Players may have little say in matter, with president of Internacional club saying any player refusing to come back to training should inste resign. 

Im credits: AP