Brazilian Olympic Committee criticizes the national soccer team.
The Brazilian Olympic Committee will take action against its national men’s soccer team after the players refused to wear the nation’s official Olympic uniform during the medal ceremony at the Tokyo Games on Saturday.
The committee issued a statement on Sunday condemning the attitude of the players and the Brazilian soccer confederation after the team beat Spain in the final to win gold.
“Once the Games are over, the Brazilian Olympic Committee will make public the measures that will be taken to preserve the rights of the Olympic movement, our sponsors, and other athletes,” said the committee.
All the athletes in the Brazilian delegation had been told in advance that they had to wear the official uniform approved by the team’s IOC, which is provided by the Chinese company Peak Sport, but the players took the podium in their Nike jerseys. Only his pants were part of Peak’s uniform. Their jackets were tied at the waist.
The players told Brazilian media that they were only following orders from the Brazilian soccer confederation, which had not immediately made an official comment. Some reports said that the confederation was not aware of the requirement that athletes must wear the official Team Brazil uniform on the podium.
Brazilian swimmer Bruno Fratus, a bronze medalist in the 50 meters in Tokyo, said it “was a clear message” that footballers do not feel part of the Olympic team and do not really care.
“They are also completely disconnected and alienated from the consequences that this can bring to the many athletes who are not millionaires like them,” he said on Twitter.
Failure to follow the rules could create problems for the Brazilian Olympic Committee with its current and future contracts with Peak or other sportswear companies. The Brazil team wore Nike uniforms at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.
Former Brazilian open water swimmer Poliana Okimoto, a 2016 bronze medalist in Rio de Janeiro, also criticized the soccer team.
“One of the basics of sport is discipline,” he said on Twitter. “Following the rules shouldn’t be that difficult. What the soccer team did, not wearing the official uniform on the podium, was not good for Brazil’s image. It is the Brazilian Olympic Committee that will be punished, not the Brazilian soccer federation ”.
It was the second consecutive Olympic gold medal for the Brazilian men’s soccer team. Before that, he had never won the Olympic title.
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