The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Neymar and Bolsonaro, DFB team and Merkel: "Footballers as instruments for a political agenda"?

2022-10-25T03:21:16.236Z


Neymar and Bolsonaro, DFB team and Merkel: "Footballers as instruments for a political agenda"? Created: 2022-10-25 05:05 By: Andreas Schmid Politics and football go hand in hand: on the left, Brazilian Neymar advertising for the election of Bolsonaro online, on the right ex-Chancellor Merkel in the dressing room of the German national team. © Screenshot Youtube/AFP/Guido Bergmann/picture allia


Neymar and Bolsonaro, DFB team and Merkel: "Footballers as instruments for a political agenda"?

Created: 2022-10-25 05:05

By: Andreas Schmid

Politics and football go hand in hand: on the left, Brazilian Neymar advertising for the election of Bolsonaro online, on the right ex-Chancellor Merkel in the dressing room of the German national team.

© Screenshot Youtube/AFP/Guido Bergmann/picture alliance/dpa (Montage)

Neymar actively campaigns for Bolsonaro, Orban uses Union Berlin for beautiful photos.

Football and politics are "meanwhile extremely closely intertwined".

Brasilia – The Brazilian Neymar is currently making no secret of the fact that he is supporting incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro in the upcoming runoff election in the largest country in South America.

Of course, this plays into the hands of the right-wing populist.

There is hardly any better election campaign advertising a week before the crucial ballot.

Neymar: "Bolsonaro re-elected, Brazil champion and everyone happy"

In a joint online broadcast with Bolsonaro over the weekend, the professional footballer in the service of Paris Saint-Germain declared his support for the right-wing head of state.

"I want to thank the President.

In the hardest moment of my life, the President was the first to publicly back me."

Neymar didn't say exactly what he meant.

But he now wants to give something back – and dedicate his first World Cup goal to Bolsonaro.

"That would be really wonderful: Bolsonaro re-elected, Brazil champion and everyone happy."

Bolsonaro is certainly not an undisputed president.

The 67-year-old regularly makes disparaging remarks about blacks, gays, women or indigenous people and is also the subject of criticism in Germany.

A flawless right-wing populist who still enjoys a lot of support in Brazil.

Probably also because the challenger and ex-president Lula da Silva, who is supported by the SPD in Germany, does not necessarily create a spirit of optimism at the age of 76 and is also confronted with allegations of corruption.

Before the election, Brazil is more divided than ever.

Sport and politics: footballers "as an instrument of a political agenda"?

Nevertheless, is Neymar allowed to campaign so actively?

A national player who publicly advertises for a politician - in Germany that would hardly be conceivable.

Just think of the weeks of outcry after the photo session of German internationals Ilkay Gündogan and Mesut Özil with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The photo affair sparked a debate about questions such as: Should professional footballers get involved in public politics?

Do they perhaps even have to because of their social responsibility?

How influential are the stars of entire generations?

"Professional footballers are always a bit of an influencer," says Green European politician Daniel Freund

Merkur.de

from

IPPEN.MEDIA

.

"You reach tens of thousands of people on social media who are not always necessarily interested in politics." That seems to make politics more tangible.

Politicians who boast about professional athletes seem familiar, sympathetic.

Footballers quickly become instruments for a political agenda here

European politician Daniel Freund (Greens)

also read

Chaos on Russia's state TV: Putin "wet his pants"

"Dirty Bomb" in Ukraine?

Lavrov adds personally – Stoltenberg warns of “escalation pretext”

Taking pictures together with the sports elite means welcome image advertising for politicians.

Whether out of conviction or naivety, footballers make their faces available for political purposes.

"They quickly become an instrument for a political agenda here," says Freund.

"In the worst case, they make themselves a fig leaf for anti-democratic politics."

The criticism after the Erdogan photo was aimed primarily at Özil, who, unlike Gündogan, had not publicly distanced himself from Erdogan.

Özil had "discredited himself", said the current Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens) at the time.

"He's no longer suitable as a role model." Angela Merkel spoke of a situation "that raised questions and invited misunderstandings."

There was also talk of “campaign aid”.

A campaign aid that the ex-Chancellor sometimes used.

Merkel's pictures from the cabin of the DFB team - also with Özil - went around the world.

A politically explosive photo: Angela Merkel congratulates the German-Turkish Mesut Özil in 2010 after a victory against Turkey.

© Guido Bergmann/picture alliance/dpa

"Look, I'm cool": How politicians want to benefit from footballers

Governing politicians have always used the favor of professional football for their own ends.

Regardless of their political persuasion.

They convey national pride and bask in the success of the national team, like Croatia's ex-president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic after the World Cup final.

Populist actors know how to use the power of sport particularly well.

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, for example, even allowed a professional club to flourish in his home village.

Erdogan is also more than close to the Istanbul club Başakşehir FK.

Orban also regularly uses football for election campaign advertising, for example when he keeps clubs in Hungarian-dominated exile regions afloat financially.

Or in mid-October at the German first division club Union Berlin, when he was photographed in their home stadium with the Hungarian footballer of the year, Andras Schäfer.

A Union jersey was given as a gift, and representatives of the press were not allowed.

Freund criticizes the Hungarian Prime Minister's visit to the Union.

"When Viktor Orban visits Hungarian national players in the Alte Försterei, he is naturally concerned with the staging.

In Berlin, he rightly saw himself exposed to clear criticism because of his anti-democratic course.

A colorful appointment at Union Berlin should signal home: 'Look, I'm cool and I'm committed to Hungary.'"

Football and politics: "Meanwhile extremely closely interwoven"

Emmanuel Macron also likes to be close to football.

France's head of state "interferes in sport and does so primarily for political reasons," says author Matthias Liegmal to our editorial team.

He has written a book about the relationship between French politics and football.

It got a chapter richer after Macron publicly spoke out in favor of Kylian Mbappé staying at Paris Saint-Germain.

However, Macron is by no means alone in his closeness to sport.

Liegmal also names other political actors such as Vladimir Putin, Silvio Berlusconi and Merkel.

On Sunday evening, Bavarian television showed the award ceremony for the Bavarian Sports Prize.

Prime Minister Markus Söder was not stingy when it came to personally presenting the award to Bayern professional Thomas Müller.

"Especially in the recent past, it has become increasingly clear that modern football and politics are now extremely closely intertwined," says Liegmal.

In Brazil, but certainly also in this country.

(as)

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2022-10-25

You may like

Trends 24h

News/Politics 2024-03-27T16:45:54.081Z
News/Politics 2024-03-28T06:04:53.137Z

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.