White leaders will never be touched by a situation they did not feel, says Grafite

Grafite, 43, often feels uncomfortable when he visits high-end restaurants in Barra da Tijuca, where he lives in Rio de Janeiro.

The feeling he has is that his presence in these places is not welcome. It is only accepted because he is a famous former football player, striker for the Brazilian team in the 2010 World Cup, world champion for São Paulo in 2005 and currently a commentator for SporTV.

“I see [o preconceito] by the looks, by the body language of people when they see a black man, 1.90 m, enter the restaurant”, says the former athlete to Sheet. “Then, they realize that I’m Graffiti. As a well-known person, that leaves me a little out of it.”

But it was not always so. Not even as a player. In 2005, he was a victim of racism during a match for São Paulo against Quilmes (ARG), in Morumbi, for the Copa LibertadoreGrafite remembers being called a “black shit” by Argentine Leandro Desábato. After the game, delegate Osvaldo Nico Gonçalves entered the field and gave the defender a voice of arrest for racism. After spending two days in prison, Desábato posted a bond of R$10,000 and was released to return to his country.

After 17 years, the former striker still regrets not having taken the case forward to see the consequences. His frustration is even greater in the face of recent cases of racism in football, especially involving Brazilian clubs in Libertadores – fans of Boca Juniors (ARG) and Universidad Católica (CHI) made gestures imitating monkeys during games against Corinthians and Flamengo, respectively.

In his opinion, in part, the problem reflects the lack of representation in football management positions.

“Among the leaders, the vast majority is white. They will never be touched by a situation that they have not felt in their skin. There is no black coach, no black leader”, he said. “Our hands are tied. We are at the mercy of these people becoming aware.”

How did you react to recent cases of racism in football, such as situations involving Brazilian teams in Libertadores? My reaction is always the same as when we started to realize this. My case is from 2005, but today it’s getting more explicit. I am perplexed. No punishment, no pity. The person pays a fine and leaves.

There is a view that problems like racism are things that are part of the folklore of the football? The stadium, Brazilian football, has always been a place of relief in society. Sometimes a guy is out of a job, with wife problems, financial problems, and he goes to the stadium to have two hours where he forgets everything. The stadium, too, has always been seen as a place where everything can be done: calling the judge a deer, the opponent a monkey… But society has evolved and these things have become a crime. It seems that the fan still has this feeling that he can do anything. We can’t be like that.

What needs to be done for this mentality to change and for us to fight the racism? The solution belongs to everyone. We have to let the fans know because some are not aware of the laws. This has to come from the clubs, the managers and the players themselves. It’s no use having only punishment. It gives the impression that, for the football business, more radical attitudes about this are not welcome. It’s very complex. More energetic attitudes are lacking.

What is the role of entities such as CBF, Conmebol and FIFA in the fight against racism in Brazil? football? FIFA and UEFA have more forceful actions where cases [de racismo] occur, but not as often. There are cases that we are not even aware of. In addition, among the leaders, the vast majority is white. They will never be touched by a situation they didn’t feel on their skin. There are no black coaches, no black leaders. We have our hands tied. We are at the mercy of these people being sensitized.

​In In a recent interview, coach Roger Machado, from Grêmio, said that the speeches of President Jair Bolsonaro give authorization for racism. Do you also see it this way? I’m very restricted in my personal life to talk about politics because it’s very extremism. There is no middle ground. But it’s one of the causes too. Social media helps a lot in spreading fake news as well. People say it’s a virtual world, but violence comes out in the real world. We see fans marking fights on the internet, people linked to Nazism, extremism, people who hate gays. I don’t just attribute it to the government [Bolsonaro]but it has its share.

As a commentator for a large network, do you feel that you have a platform and an importance to talk about racism? I feel uncomfortable talking about it because we shouldn’t be talking about it in 2022. I feel uncomfortable, but I have a duty to speak, for the platform I have to speak on. I feel obliged to be the voice of those people who are unaware of things and suffer from racism.

Do you still bother talking about the case of racism you suffered in 2005? There was a time when it bothered me. But nowadays it’s quiet. I do not feel comfortable. It’s not that I like to talk, but I argue, I talk. I regret not taking the case forward. If I had, it might have gone nowhere, as it often does. People end up adapting and finding it normal. I don’t think it’s normal. And, today, I always like to talk about the Observatório Racial do Esporte. Their work, mapping the cases, is very important.