Rousseff to welcome soccer players who suffered from racism

President Dilma Rousseff is expected to welcome members of the black movement and two soccer players who were recently subject to racist attacks – Paulo César Nascimento (known as Tinga) and Marcos Arouca da Silva – at the Palácio do Planalto, head of the Brazilian government, on Thursday (Mar. 13).

On her twitter page Sunday (9), Rousseff condemned the cases of racism against Arouca and referee Márcio Chagas da Silva, who was also racially abused. She had previously lent his support to Tinga as well: “It’s not acceptable that Brazil, the largest black nation outside Africa, should tolerate demonstrations of racism.”

Rousseff said that the Brazilian government, the United Nations and FIFA are working so that the World Cup in Brazil can serve as a means to fight prejudice: “I urge religious leaders from around the globe to send messages against racism and for peace,” she declared on her Twitter account.

Arouca was called a “monkey” by a fan after a Campeonato Paulista match in Mogi Mirim, São Paulo. Referee Márcio Chagas da Silva was also called a “monkey”, and found bananas left on top of his car by fans after overseeing a match in Bento Gonçalves, Rio Grande do Sul. Tinga was a victim of racism during a match that took place in Peru as part of the Copa Libertadores da América: whenever he touched the ball, the Peruvian crowd would set up monkey chants.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira