Brazil Protests

When a nation hosts the World Cup, it understandably garners more and more attention the closer the tournament gets. That is why any odd incident will be magnified into and exaggerated by the media, which is exactly what is happening at the moment.

Portuguesa, a first-division club in the Brazilian league, are currently under intense scrutiny as prosecutors are investigating whether the club officials have received compensation to purposely get the club demoted in order to help keep a more popular football club in the top flight. They had already been disciplined for fielding a suspended player, however recent news may suggest that someone at the club knew all along about the suspension and that the player was fielded deliberately.

Fluminense, one of Brazil’s biggest clubs, was the ‘more popular club’ which were meant to be demoted. This was changed after the four point deduction occurred since the suspended player case meant that Fluminense were granted a stay in the top division.

Further investigations and interrogations have, however, led prosecutors to believe that somebody in Portuguesa knew about the particular player being suspended. With the legal dispute still ongoing and seeming to have no immediate end, this issue could end up delaying the upcoming football season’s starting date.

With reports of incompetence in World Cup preparations and endless street protests, as well as fan violence during the previous campaign, Brazilian football is not enjoying the peachiest of times, which has come at the worst possible moment since the world of football is currently watching every step.