Santos prevents UOL from entering the South American game

Santos Futebol Clube has denied accreditation and will not allow UOL journalists to enter Vila Belmiro for the game against Universidad Católica de Quito, Ecuador, this Wednesday, at 7:15 pm (GMT), for the Copa Sudamericana.

The accreditation request was made within the deadlines and met the club’s requirements. Even so, it was vetoed by Santos’ communication without explanation.

Santos’ reaction comes after the publication of a column by journalist Juca Kfouri, last Saturday, with criticism of the team’s performance in the goalless draw against Fluminense. Freedom of expression for its journalists is a fundamental principle for UOL.

“It is an attack on the freedom of the press. A truculent measure, an unthinkable retaliation in a democratic country”, says UOL Content Director Murilo Garavello. “Hundreds of thousands of Santos fans who accompany the club through UOL are harmed and it is a very worrying movement. We have close to a hundred columnists and journalists who work with Esporte. If one of them has an uncomfortable opinion, the entire vehicle is punished ? Will Santos only accept journalism that praises the club?”

Santos’ decision to punish UOL journalists was criticized earlier this week by the Association of Sports Chroniclers of the State of São Paulo (Aceesp). “We reject any attempt to boycott the free exercise of journalism and, as a consequence, the right of opinion. The proposal to punish all UOL journalists according to the opinion expressed by one of its columnists adds, by the way, to the recent attempt by the Palmeiras board to ban interviews with all Radio Transamérica professionals, in retaliation for an isolated demonstration by one of its commentators. The two examples, with an interval of less than a month, flirt with the undesirable culture of censorship. unacceptable in any context, and especially in a country that has fought hard for the democratic rule of law”.