Bolsonaro goes to Grêmio game and receives boos and applause

President and reelection candidate Jair Bolsonaro (PL) went to Arena do Grêmio, in Porto Alegre, on Friday night (2), to watch the game between Grêmio and Vila Nova, for the Brazilian Championship Series B.

The president was in one of the boxes and was noticed as he approached the parapet to hear the national anthem.

Bolsonaro was booed and insulted by the crowd in the lower chairs. Another group applauded, and there were cries of “myth.”

Then he followed the rest of the match alongside vice Hamilton Mourão (Republicans).

Surrounded by supporters during a visit to Expointer, earlier, Bolsonaro had told reporters that he would go to the game “to represent Renato [Portaluppi]”, of whom he is a friend.

Renato is about to take over Grêmio for the fourth time, after the resignation of coach Roger Machado, on Thursday (1st), but he will only do so on Monday (5th). Bolsonaro joked about watching the team before the coach was in the bunker.

“I spoke with Renato by phone and unfortunately he will not be present. I will try, inside, to give morale to the team because Grêmio has to go up, for the good of Brazilian football”, said the president to Rádio Gaúcha.

In July 2019, in an interview with Mônica Bergamo’s column, in Sheet, Renato became a voter and supporter of the president, as well as former minister Sergio Moro. He also stated that he voted for Wilson Witzel (PSC) for governor.

“I voted for him [Bolsonaro]. It’s my president. Bolsonaro and Sergio Moro are good people who want the good of Brazil. In my opinion, whoever is against these guys is against the growth of Brazil”, said the coach at the time.

In July 2021, when he took over Flamengo, Renato again expressed his support for the president. In a video to greet the vice president and flamengo player Hamilton Mourão, Renato says “we are together, always. Along with the man, with our myth”.

In these elections, Renato recorded a video in support of the vice president, who is running for the Senate in Rio Grande do Sul, of whom he said he was “a great friend”.

Exchange in the Guild

Although it occurred due to poor results on the field, the exchange in Grêmio’s reserve bench also ends up presenting an ideological change.

Roger, during a period when he was not coaching the club, recorded a video in support of Manuela D’Ávila (PCdoB) in the municipal elections of Porto Alegre in 2020.

The coach also spoke openly about progressive and politically thorny topics, such as racism in football. In an interview with Sheet Last April, Roger said Bolsonaro’s behavior made racist fans feel empowered to do so.

“The individuals [racistas] who were in hiding feel authorized to express themselves according to the positions and points of view of the nation’s leader [porque estes] are convergent”, said the coach at the time.

The club is going through a troubled phase on and off the field. In addition to coach Roger, the team fired on Thursday (1st) the vice president of football, Denis Abrahão, and the director of football Sérgio Vasques.

After opening ten points for the fifth place in Serie B, Grêmio added two defeats and, before this Friday’s game, they were three points ahead of the fifth place, Londrina. The fourth position is the last one that gives access to the 2023 Serie A.

Off the field, Grêmio will have presidential elections in November. Romildo Bolzan, who is the former president of the Rio Grande do Sul PDT, was even invited by the party to run for state government in the 2022 elections, but declined.

Romildo has been president of Grêmio since 2014 and won nine titles – seven of them alongside Renato, including the 2017 Libertadores –, but he reaches the end of his third term contested by the fans. After Renato’s departure in April 2021, four other coaches failed in command of the club, which was relegated at the end of the year.