Soccer-dictatorships discussed at 2nd Biennial Book Fair in Brasília

In the 70s, when Latin America was dominated by authoritarian military governments, dictators in many countries where soccer was a national passion have used the sport for propaganda. That was the case, for example, when Brazil won the World Soccer Cup for the third time in 1970. The government grabbed its share in the sentiment of national pride and celebration as then President Garrastazu Medici welcomed the national team back in Brasília. In Argentina, too, President Jorge Videla let photographers capture him alongside the Argentinean squad that won the World Cup in 1978.

The second edition of the Biennial Book Fair (2ª Bienal Brasil do Livro e da Leitura) in Brasília opened on Friday (Apr. 11) with a panel on Soccer and Dictatorships in Latin America. Panelists included historian-journalist Lúcio de Castro and Uruguayan author Eduardo Galeano.

“It was remarkable how soccer and dictatorships would often go together. The authoritarian governments have drawn largely on football as a tool for propaganda, on several occasions. This is also true of democratic governments. Of course in dictatorships there's a process going on that is more targeted and harmful, but it surely does occur in democracy as well,” said Lúcio de Castro.

An example of this, according to him, is the upcoming FIFA World Cup which begins within two months. “In some areas, there's a very concerning state of things going on, which gets on the verge of a state of exception. When you're talking about slum dweller evictions, that's really very serious stuff we're experiencing here,” he said.

Commenting on the protests that occurred in mid-2013 during the Confederations Cup, Castro criticized the way the government has been dealing with the issue. “I was very concerned as protests began that a number of bills have been discussed that border on a state of exception where you could be arrested simply for speaking out. I do wish we could be out there on the streets for a true democratic experience in this country.”

Uruguayan journalist-author Eduardo Galeano steered clear of particular remarks on the World Cup, but stood up for the sport: “Soccer's not to blame for the sins that are committed on its account.” Author of Soccer in Sun and Shadow, which traces how the sport has grown into a profitable business, Galeano thinks that stripped of all the passion, the myth, the heroes, the glory and the tragedy, the sport does have a dark side with powerful political and financial interests at stake.

The two speakers went on to note, however, that just as well as the authoritarian governments did, the populations, too, have managed to capitalize on crowded stadiums to stage their protests. Galeano recalled the first demonstration against the coup d'état in his home Uruguay: “The people were left speechless by brutality. But it was in a crowded stadium with hardly any room left, however tiny, that they first shouted: 'It's going to end, the dictatorship is going to end'.”

Translated by Mayra Borges