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Updated August 8th, 2021 at 22:47 IST

Brazil's Olympic Committee condemns attitude of national soccer players at medal ceremony

The Brazilian Olympic Committee condemned the attitude of the players and promised to take further action once the players returned home

Reported by: Azhar Mohamed
Brazil
AP | Image:self
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The Brazilian Olympic Committee has slammed their men’s football team after the squad refused to wear the official Olympic uniform at the medal ceremony. The Brazilian team won the gold medal on Sunday, defeating Spain in a high-octane clash to defend their top podium spot from 2016. Richarlison and Co. collected their medals in their Nike jerseys, which led to the country lambasting the players in a statement.

Brazil’s Olympic Committee slams football players, threatens action for boycotting uniforms

The Brazil delegation at the Tokyo Olympics were informed in advance that they had to don the Committee’s official uniform during the medal ceremony. The official uniform is designed by the Chinese company Peak Sport, while the football players sported their Nike kits while on the podium. Their pants were part of the Peak Sport uniform, and the jackets were carelessly tied around their waists.

In an official statement, the Brazilian Olympic Committee condemned the attitude of the players and promised to take further action once the players returned home from Japan. The statement revealed that the Committee will announce the measures publicly after the Summer Games in a bid to protect the rights of the Olympic movement, the sponsors and other athletes.

As per Brazilian media, the football players insisted that they were following orders from the Brazilian football federation (CBF). Reports suggest that the confederation themselves weren’t aware of the requirement, and had not informed the athletes of the same. The CBF is yet to make a comment on the matter.

Brazil’s Olympians Fratus, Okimoto criticise the football team’s “lack of discipline”

However, these claims have been disputed by Brazilian swimmer Bruno Fratus, who claims that the boycott of the Olympic uniform was a clear message. The Tokyo Olympics 2020 bronze medallist took to Twitter and wrote that the football players never felt part of Brazil’s Olympic contingent and did not care about the consequences their actions could bring to other athletes.

The same sentiment was shared by Poliana Okimoto, a 2016 Rio Olympics bronze medallist. The former Brazilian open-water swimmer said that one of the main aspects of sports was discipline, and the football team’s actions were not good for the country’s image. She further stated that due to their lack of discipline, it is the Brazilian Olympic Committee that will be published and not the football federation.

Image: AP 

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Published August 8th, 2021 at 22:47 IST

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