With Bolsonaro there is authorization for racism, says Roger Machado

Grêmio coach Roger Machado, one of the few black coaches in charge of a Brazilian football club in the top national divisions, said that President Jair Bolsonaro’s speech gives authorization for racism, to which he calls for resistance.

With stints in Palmeiras, Fluminense and Atlético-MG, Roger, 47, says he suffers from the structural racism of a country that acclaims its black players, but poses obstacles for those who want to be coaches.

In Grêmio’s victory over Operário-PR this Wednesday (27), for Série B of the Brazilian Championship, the gaucho coach said he had received insults (with pejorative adjectives, according to him) directed at his wife and daughters.

Why are there so few black coaches in the Brazilian? Football reveals who we are as a society. The representation of the black population in other areas is very similar to that of football. When blacks and whites decide to ascend the social pyramid, filters begin to appear. These are the filters of the ideology that created racism and that attributes to blacks a condition of less intelligence, less leadership and management capacity, precisely the skills of a football coach.

What racist acts did you face until you became a coach? Veiled racism, in the Brazilian style, the one that built a false myth of a ‘racial democracy’ in which, in theory, there was no racism or prejudice in Brazil. Systematic, structural discrimination is another, much more complex one. In my first jobs as a coach, many times, when I was fired, they questioned my ability to manage groups, and this was one of the great skills I always had as a player, as a leader, as a captain.

NGOs warn of the growth of racist acts in Brazilian stadiums. Have you noticed this? They increase in the same way as discriminatory acts in society. (…) Those who believe they are losing part of their privileges in this network that racism has built for 500 years react more aggressively. It is a process related to a culture of hate that we have experienced much more strongly in the last four years in Brazil. But it is not a regional situation, it is global.

Is Bolsonaro responsible? the individuals [racistas] that were hiding [porque a sociedade os reprimia] feel authorized to express themselves according to the positions and points of view of the leader of the nation, [porque estes] are convergent. We have to resist, because his intention is for us to retreat, and we cannot allow that.

Should athletes and coaches position themselves more strongly? As athletes we are trained not to leave the field (…) There are many different ways to express yourself. The point is that most of us, unfortunately, have a lower level of education because the country has not privileged our full education. This also impacts our conscience (…) In our ideological construction to debate these issues.

Is it possible to eliminate racism from football? Not immediately. But it is possible if we start to discuss the matter openly, being aware that there will be greater acts of discrimination due to a resistance movement. There will be a group that will not change because they believe they are of a superior race (…) But this has already been discussed for other issues, such as when women decided to occupy new spaces in society. Prejudice was very strong. However, there was courage to debate the issue. What we cannot do is hide behind the myth of ‘racial democracy’ in Brazil.