Nine candidates linked to sport are elected in Brazil

Nine candidates with direct links to sport were successful in the elections held in Brazil last Sunday (2). One senator, five federal deputies and three state deputies were chosen whose names are linked to football clubs or other modalities.

The representative elected to the Senate was the former player Romário (PL), who is going to his second term in Rio de Janeiro. He had 2,384,331 votes, 29.19% of the valid votes, with a good advantage over the second place, Alessandro Molon (PSB), who registered 21.20%.

Also for Rio, former swimmer Luiz Lima (PL) and Eduardo Bandeira de Mello (PSB), former president of Flamengo, were elected federal deputies. Also in the Chamber will be former goalkeeper Danrlei (PSD), chosen in Rio Grande do Sul, and Luciano Bivar (União Brasil), former president of Sport, who ran in Pernambuco.

Another federal deputy elected by Minas Gerais is volleyball player Maurício Souza (PL). Famous for phrases and publications with homophobic content, he became a popular figure among followers of President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) and received more than 83,000 votes.

Still in Minas, the president of América-MG, Alencar da Silveira Júnior (PDT), was elected state deputy. In Rio Grande do Sul, Gaucho da Geral (PSD), a well-known Grêmio fan, won his seat in the Assembly. In Bahia, former player Bobô (PC do B) is among the winners.

Several sportsmen failed. This was the case of Olympic medalists Maurren Maggi (Republicans), who failed to become a federal deputy for São Paulo, Leila (PDT), who lost the race for the Federal District government, and Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima (Progressistas), who was defeated in an attempt to become a state deputy for Paraná.

The list of people linked to the sport who were not successful still has Alexandre Kalil (PSD), former president of Atlético Mineiro, already overcome in the first round in the fight for the government of Minas. In the same state, the president of Cruzeiro, Sérgio Rodrigues, did not get the vacancy he was looking for as a federal deputy.

In São Paulo, volleyball athlete Tandara (MDB), former basketball player Marta (PT) and former football player Dinei (Avante) were excluded from the list of federal deputies. In Rio, also in an attempt to go to the Chamber of Deputies, former player Bebeto (PSD), coach Joel Santana (Pros) and Marcos Braz (PL), leader of Flamengo, were frustrated. In Paraná, it didn’t work for coach Gilson Kleina (Progressives) or fighter Wanderlei Silva (Progressives).