Economics
Brazilian Politics Stain the Famous Yellow and Green Jersey
- Yellow shirt increasingly associated with right-wing politics
- Brazil beats Peru 3-1 for first Copa America title in 12 years
Brazilian presidents gifting jerseys to world leaders.
Source: Bloomberg, Getty Images, and Palacio Planalto
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Brazil’s soccer team won its ninth Copa America title on Sunday, wearing the squad’s legendary yellow and green jersey. But in the nation’s bitterly polarized political environment, some fans felt unable to wear the colors.
The team’s Nike Inc.-designed jersey has long been worn with pride by ordinary Brazilians. But over the past few years it’s been adopted by the political forces that lifted President Jair Bolsonaro to power. That leaves diehard fans from the opposite end of the political spectrum, like Euclides Bitelo, reluctant to sport the shirt he used to wear every week.