From legend to traitor: How Pele fell in the eyes of Brazil

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Pelé has been branded the ‘traitor of the century’ by angry crowds in Brazil. He used to be a respected football player, but now he has fallen in the estimation of many Brazilians. Protesters say he is out of touch with the reality of Brazil. It started with his plea that the Brazilian population quit protesting for a better country last year. He also said, in a YouTube video, that people were misguided and that corruption has nothing to do with the World Cup. Now in a recent interview with ESPN he said that Brazilians are ‘ruining the World Cup’ and once again explained that the World Cup has nothing to do with politics. He said: “Honestly I worried a lot during the Confederations Cup [because of] all of those movements. I made a comparison that football has always promoted Brazil and now we have three wonderful events – Confederations Cup, World Cup and the Olympics. The country can be full of tourists, receive all the benefits and the Brazilians themselves are ruining such a party. A lot of people have not understood because I think football has nothing to do with the corruption of politicians”. [caption id=“attachment_1438599” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File picture of legendary Brazilian soccer player Pele speaking to journalists. Reuters[/caption] It is unclear whether Pelé was told to pronounce himself to calm down the masses or if he is so naïve as to think that FIFA and the preparations for the 2014 are in no way political. Could it be that he is purposefully turning a blind eye to the social problems Brazilians face every day that are made worse by the World Cup itself? Could it be that he is purposefully ignoring the fact that Brazil is spending millions of dollars on resources that would not be needed if we weren’t hosting the World Cup, instead of investing in long term programs like education, workers’ rights, health care and sanitation? It was, after all, Brazil who sought out FIFA to propose the hosting of the event, not the other way around. The decision to host such an event heavily depends on what the authorities and corporations will gain from it – after all they are the ones who presented the country to FIFA. Again, the question is whether Pelé is so naïve as not to see that hosting the World Cup means more for the rich and less for the poor. However, for all of Pelé’s fame, fortune and adoration it seems that Brazilians have not fallen in the trap of blind adoration. Since the beginning of protests, people made signs against FIFA and against Pelé specifically. A few choice signs were “Pelé, it’s not about 20 cents!” and, repeating what Romário said about the man in 2006, “A silent Pelé is a poet”. Some challenged Pelé’s arguments that the event will bring prosperity directly: “For whom is the World Cup?” The answer is clear: it is shameful when a government only finds the funds to make society better when they are in the international public eye. It is the wish of authorities that Brazilians behave well and do not point out what they are unhappy with. This has become so serious to them that FIFA and President Dilma Rousseff decided there will be no speeches in the event’s opening ceremony due to previous occurrences where both Blatter and Rousseff were booed during their statements. Maybe we can assume, in the spirit of giving Pelé the benefit of the doubt, that he is ignorant of how the World Cup and the coming of ‘gringos’ is affecting the people. Maybe we can assume that he truly believes the people will benefit from this. But the truth is that Brazil will be left with a legacy that helps no one (unfortunately, football stadiums do not educate, enrich or heal people) and the feeling that the international community matters more than the Brazilian people. Where there is money there is politics. Pelé can say this is only about football all he wants because his misguided, ignorant statements have made him a betrayed of the Brazilian people. Brazil is not just football and these protests have proved that. However, he is right in one respect: football promotes Brazil, but this time it is promoting the people’s unhappiness and dissatisfaction towards the condition of the country. It is promoting the negative and not the positive – it is insulting that Pelé, as a Brazilian, is telling people to sit down and be on their best behaviour when the chance to name and shame injustices presents itself. Perhaps he should take advice from Romario who, as a Congressman and despite his footballer background, has come out against the excessive spending from the government toward the World Cup (currently estimated at $8 billion) and FIFA itself. He wrote on his website: “We have spent an absurd amount for the World Cup and going forward it will get even worse. Brazil has a lot of thieves, that’s the truth. Now we have to cheer for Brazil to win on the field because it would be perfect for football but off the pitch we’ve already lost and there is no way to reverse it.” Romario has used his fame and talent to speak for the people. It is a shame that Pelé has not.