Alongside world champions at Palácio do Planalto, in an event promoted by FIFA, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) recalled this Wednesday (26) the political moment that marked Brazil in 2014, the year in which the country hosted the World Cup and suffered the biggest defeat in its history in the World Cup.
Lula criticized the accusations of corruption made at the time against the government of Dilma Rousseff (PT) and state governments. In a speech with repeated mentions of the valorization of women in sport, the PT member said he wanted Brazil to have “redemption” with the victory of the women’s team in the upcoming World Cup.
“We have to redeem ourselves for what happened to us in 2014, it was an embarrassment. And not an embarrassment for the players, Brazil was going through a very delicate, irritating and nervous moment and at that moment the number of unforgettable lies about corruption in the World Cup began”, said the president at the event where he received the World Cup trophy.
“It gave society the idea that it had been a den of corruption and resulted in the kids being all nervous, irritated, there was no atmosphere to even play football. It’s the only explanation I have for that shower we took from Germany”, said the president, in reference to Brazil’s 7-1 defeat by Germany.
The ceremony in Brasília, called “Tour da Taça”, is an event promoted by FIFA in which the World Cup cup passes through around 30 countries. At this Wednesday’s event, former players from the men’s and women’s teams were present, such as Cafu, Pepe, Jairzinho and Formiga.
The event should have presented the men’s and women’s World Cup cups. However, the women’s trophy did not arrive in time for the ceremony due to logistical issues. In light of this, President Lula performed the rite of “revealing” the cup with just the men’s trophy, alongside the veteran champions of the Brazilian team — only heads of state and world champions can hold the piece.
Lula used the moment to emphasize government actions aimed at women, with emphasis on the “Pact to Combat Feminicide”, in which the three Powers signed a commitment to combat violence against women.
In his speech, the PT member also criticized the millionaire salaries of the current football generation and pointed out the disparities with the amounts received by female athletes. Despite this, she said she wanted to see women follow “the same rhythm”.
The Cup Tour is a partnership between FIFA and Coca Cola. At the event, the vice-president and minister of Industry, Commerce and Services, Geraldo Alckmin, announced an investment of R$30 billion in Coca Cola factories and distribution centers by 2030.
In Brazil, the trophy has already passed through São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro and, now, Brasília. In total, the Cup Tour visits 30 FIFA member countries, with 75 stops over more than 150 days. The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
