Neymar and football enter Brazil’s presidential contest
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Seneweb
On the eve of the second round of Brazil’s presidential election, statements by footballers such as Neymar are fuelling the contest between Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro. The vote pits the two candidates against each other in a campaign marked by political tensions and debates over sports betting, Seneweb reports.
With only a few hours to go before the second round of Brazil’s presidential election scheduled for Sunday 25 October, football has become a battleground between Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro. Senator Bolsonaro, who topped the first round with 47.03% of the vote against Lula’s 45.16%, has received notable backing from Neymar, Seneweb reports.
The Santos forward released a video with lawmaker Nikolas Ferreira, who is close to the Bolsonaro family, in which several references to the number 22 were interpreted as an allusion to the conservative camp. Neymar had already backed Jair Bolsonaro in the 2022 presidential election. By contrast, former international Juninho Pernambucano and former Seleção captain Raí have shown their closeness to Lula.
The latest Datafolha poll cited during the campaign put the two candidates level, with 50% of valid voting intentions each. The campaign therefore ended in a very close contest, after the two candidates’ rallies and gatherings concluded on 24 October. Brazilian polling stations opened on 25 October for the second round, already presented as a direct confrontation between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro.
