Deputy compared Neymar’s absence from the national team to the Oscar lost by Wagner Moura; gesture with banana generated criticism
The federal deputy (Rede-PE) published a video on its official Instagram profile showing the absence of in the call-up of the Brazilian team. The content was published on Tuesday (March 17, 2026) and generated repercussions among internet users.
Gadêlha mentioned the actor’s defeat and coach Carlo Ancelotti’s failure to call up player Neymar for the Brazilian squad for the 2026 World Cup. He ended the recording by eating a banana.
The deputy mentioned that sectors of the right celebrated the fact that Wagner Moura did not win the Oscar. Neymar has a known alignment with the right-wing political camp and not ex-president (PL) in the 2022 elections.
“You on the right are celebrating that Wagner Moura didn’t win the Oscar, I just wanted to say one thing: Neymar, he wasn’t called up to the national team”said Gadêlha in the video.
The publication sparked discussion in the comments. Internet users questioned the gesture of eating a banana after mentioning Neymar. Social media users recalled that this act is used by fans in Europe as a racist offense against Brazilian players.
“Why do you eat a banana talking about Neymar who is black?”wrote one internet user.
“Eating a banana when talking about Neymar, what did you mean? We can understand everything about racism, we see many exactly the same attitudes in football stadiums, making an analogy between a black or brown player and a monkey”declared another.
In 2014, Neymar was the target of racism while playing for Barcelona in a match against Espanyol, rival fans threw a banana on the pitch towards the attacker.
The video remains available on the deputy’s Instagram profile and continues to receive comments from internet users.
