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"It's possible to cheer for the national team without forgetting the fight against the crisis."

"I consider this apparent disregard for the World Cup healthy, and I bet that, during the games, the support for the Brazilian national team will be as intense and passionate as it always has been," says federal deputy Chico D'Angelo (PDT-RJ); for him, "it is possible to watch the World Cup, cheer for the national team, and passionately engage with the game, without forgetting the fight against the crisis, the erosion of institutions, the dismantling of Brazilian public assets, and the threats to workers' rights."

Brazilian fans (Photo: Paulo Emílio)

247 - "I consider this apparent disregard for the World Cup healthy, and I bet that, when the games start, the support for the Brazilian national team will be as intense and passionate as it always has been," writes federal deputy Chico D'Angelo (PDT-RJ) in Carta Capital. "The lack of enthusiasm proves that football is far from being an alienating pastime, free from the politics of bread and circuses. It wasn't the spurious use of the national team's triumph in 1970 that sustained the military dictatorship. It was the tanks and brutal repression, as João Saldanha, the coach who led the team in the World Cup qualifiers and was dismissed shortly before the tournament, pointed out," he emphasizes.

For him, "it's possible to watch the World Cup, cheer for the national team, and passionately engage with the game without forgetting the fight against the crisis, the erosion of institutions, the dismantling of Brazilian public assets, the threats to workers' rights, the disastrous supply shortages that plagued the country, the abandonment of a sovereign national project, and the shady dealings that recently involved the CBF itself. The love for football is a patrimony of the Brazilian people."