Brazil: Neymar and President Bolsonaro, the permanent court

Jair Bolsonaro and Neymar remain two of Brazilians' favorite topics for discussion. In recent days, the President of Brazil has exasperated a large part of his compatriots by minimizing the coronavirus crisis and by questioning the value of confinement. Neymar, for his part, fed the column by posting group photos taken from his place of confinement, a splendid residence near Rio.

The smallest acts and gestures of Neymar and Bolsonaro are the subject of debate or controversy, rightly or wrongly. But what relationships do these two characters have? Officially none. The two men evolve in parallel ecosystems, even if they could cross paths on rare occasions like during the Copa America 2019 where they posed during Brazil - Argentina (2-0) or, a few weeks earlier, at the hospital during the football player's convalescence.

In reality, since the election of the far-right leader in October 2018, these two have had a permanent court and junction points have been created at regular intervals.

Bolsonaro on motorbike with Neymar's jersey

In 2019, two short films were enough to arouse the curiosity of the public and install an ideological proximity between the PSG star and the President of the Republic. Almost a year ago, the new strong man from Brazil posted a video on his Twitter account, where he appeared with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and invited the number 10 of the Seleçao to go to Israel. In this same video is included the response of the footballer who accepts and declares: "Thank you for inviting us. Israel, we are coming! A year later, the famous number 10 still hasn't been there.

- Netanyahu, Bolsonaro, Neymar e Medina pelo Sucesso de Brasil e Israel. pic.twitter.com/ixoyspZEyI

A few days later, on April 28, 2019, Bolsonaro allowed himself a motorcycle outing in the streets of Sao Paulo with a jersey flocked with the name of Neymar on the back. Again the short film of his night trip was immediately published on his favorite social network. And on June 5, Bolsonaro publicly stood up for the footballer accused of rape (since whitewashed) and against the complainant. "He's going through a difficult time, but I believe him. Neymar, tonight, I'm with you, "he said to reporters.

Uma voltinha de moto no Guarujá! Um forte abraço a todos! pic.twitter.com/29073MP6w4

That the populist leader is a fan of the Parisian striker is not surprising in a country where football is the center of all attention. But that he uses the image of the planetary star - without the latter participating in or opposing it - is instructive about his political strategy.

"To establish its popularity, President Jair Bolsonaro puts himself at the level of his voters, advance Lucas Neves, correspondent for the daily Folha de Sao Paulo in France. He tells them that he has the same idols as them and appears with celebrities to feed the story of the popular extraction man who is not seduced by power and does not live in his bubble. This is part of a more general communication strategy where we see Bolsonaro on social networks in his house on weekends with Havaiannas (Editor's note: famous brand of flip flops) at their feet or even cooking. He wants to break the codes, the rituals of power, but he replaces poses with other poses. "

Neymar like a message of support for the future president

Storytelling and the use of the image of top athletes are not new. Most of the leaders of great powers try their hand at it. But the divisive nature of the far-right leader could have prompted the Parisian striker to keep his distance. During the electoral campaign and after the election of the new President of the Republic, on October 28, 2018, the Paris player never gave frank and massive support to the former soldier. But neither did he detach himself from it, constantly referring to God and his will to guide the choices of the people.

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"I hope his election will help our country. He (Editor's note: Bolsonaro) is elected now, it's God who wanted it, "he said after the verdict at the polls. Before then during the first months of Bolsonaro's mandate, Neymar sowed small stones which testify to a form of affinity with the former soldier. On October 7, 2018, the day of the first round of the presidential election, he “liked” (liked) a message of support for Bolsonaro posted by Alan Patrick (28), Brazilian midfielder of Shaktar Donetsk and former Santos as him. There is also, as we saw in this response video, where Neymar and his friend, surfer Gabriel Medina, accept the invitation of the far-right leader during his visit to Israel.

Neymar's father, taxes and the visit to Bolsonaro

Last year, again, Neymar's father and agent appeared in a photo with Paulo Guedes, the Minister of the Economy, and Jair Bolsonaro in his presidential palace. On this day, Neymar senior is accompanied by Altamiro Bezerra, the player's lawyer, responsible for his image society and his foundation for disadvantaged children, support for Bolsonaro during the elections. In reality, it was not a courtesy visit that day, but, as the Minister's press service explained, a private hearing during which the father of the star player informed the 'FISC administration.

In 2017, Neymar agreed to pay a fine of 2.1 million euros to the Brazilian tax authorities to end a dispute related to the payment of image rights at the time when he was playing in Santos, his training club. But the Parisian player still under the procedure, has not finished with the taxman of his country who still claims 69 million reais (about 16 million euros) in tax arrears, dating from his transfer from Santos to Barcelona in 2013. Hence his father's meeting.

"It is not so rare, and the procedure will take place in the strict process of administrative and fiscal rules," hastened to communicate the press office of the Minister of Economy. “However, even if the reports are a little less formal in Brazil, it is not so common and not at all the way we usually handle these types of files. There is a kind of deference from the State towards a taxpayer, "analyzes Lucas Neves, the Folha correspondent for S. Paulo in Paris. That said, that would not have prevented the tax authorities from freezing the 36 properties of the player in June 2019 according to the Brazilian press.

Evangelicals as a backdrop

Finally, if Bolsonaro has approached Neymar since his election, and conversely, Evangelical Protestantism is no stranger to it. "What often makes the junction point between Bolsonaro and these soccer players is that they are evangelists, decrypts Clément Astruc, author of a thesis on Brazilian football around the world . From this point of view, the new president has shown expediency. He comes from a Catholic background and was baptized in the waters of the Jordan in 2016 to wink at this Protestant electorate. And in his campaign, he received support from prominent evangelical pastors, who are very wealthy church leaders, and very powerful opinion leaders. A whole evangelical machine is behind him. "

Today it is a third of Brazilians who claim to be part of the Evangelical Church, or 60 million faithful. And without the support of pastors and some footballers who supported him like De Melo, Ronaldinho or Lucas, Bolsonaro, credited with 4% in early 2018, would never have come to power.

As for Neymar, he often highlights his love of God and his attachment to the Baptist church (an evangelical Christian current) in Peniel, which he has attended since he was a child. Another junction point with the President of the Republic of Brazil.