Cuca’s departure shows that football needs to follow the transformation of society, say experts – 04/27/2023 – Sport

Coach Cuca’s quick visit to Corinthians, which ended early this Thursday (27th), less than a week after his presentation, should leave important marks.

For researchers, the case showed that, as the most popular sport in the country, football is not exempt from changes in society, especially in the way cases of violence against women are handled.

The coach’s permanence in the team became unsustainable due to pressure from fans, especially women, outraged by the club’s attitude towards the case of sexual violence registered in Switzerland, in 1987. At the time, Cuca was a Grêmio player and was arrested side of three companions.

Tried and convicted, he did not serve the sentence stipulated for the crime, which expired, but the case has surfaced since his arrival at the alvinegro team.

The man from Paraná denies the accusations, but his version is refuted by the lawyer who defended the victim at the time, when she was 13 years old.

When communicating his departure from Corinthians, after the match against Remo for the Copa do Brasil, on Wednesday (26), at the Neo Química Arena, the coach stated that “it was almost a massacre what ended up happening” since his arrival at the Parque Saint George.

Experts heard by the report, however, point out that the pressure suffered by him and the team is a reflection of a society that is increasingly less tolerant of the normalization of cases of violence against women.

“Football is a mirror of society. And the fact that, in 1987, this case [envolvendo o Cuca] did not have the same repercussions that it has now, more than 30 years later, is proof of that”, says historian Diana Mendes, who has dedicated her career to investigating soccer in Brazil.

Doctor in Social History and working in the Human Rights, Democracy and Memory Group of the Institute of Advanced Studies at USP (University of São Paulo), Diana criticizes the conduct of the case made by Corinthians, in particular, the statement by the president of the club, Duilio Monteiro Alves.

Shortly after Cuca’s brief statement, the top hat regretted the coach’s departure. “These are the new times, let’s put it that way. I don’t want to get into the merits, but I think it was an exaggeration, a massacre over him and Corinthians, over me too.”

For the historian, “what should have been said by him is that the club could not have a different attitude that was not to amplify the voice of civil society” that rejected the hiring of the professional.

Master in Social Sciences from the Federal University of São Paulo, anthropologist Marianna Barcelos sees the posture not only of the club, but also of the players and part of the fans as an example of the “pact of masculinity that remains firm and far above any social agenda important.”

After the victory over Remo in the penalty shootout, the Corinthians players ran towards coach Cuca to hug him. Goalkeeper Cássio stated that the coach is “a guy who, despite everything, has been fighting to help.”

The women’s team, however, had a different posture from the men’s since hiring the coach. On social networks, they released a note in which they mention that “being Corinthians means living and fighting for rights every day”.

The text was published by the players on the day of Cuca’s debut at the head of the men’s team, against Goiás, on Sunday (23), exactly at the 87th minute of the game, in a reference to the year that the coach was sentenced in Switzerland.

The post echoed the protest that had already been made by a group of about 200 fans during the coach’s official presentation, last Friday (21), at the Ecological Park,

“Discussing this case is one of the ways to demonstrate that in football, as well as in society, this [a violência contra as mulheres] will no longer be ignored or silenced”, highlights Marianna Barcelos.

The proposed debate divided the club’s organized supporters. Camisa 12, Pavilhão 9 and Coletivo Democracia Corinthians released notes repudiating the hiring of the coach. Gaviões da Fiel, the club’s most organized organization, however, decided to support him on the grounds that the team would have important games ahead of them.

“Sport continues to dodge its obligations to society,” says Marina Ganzarolli, a lawyer at the head of Me Too Brasil —a movement against sexual harassment and violence against women. “Cuca didn’t leave Corinthians as he should have. The club didn’t take a stand, the sponsors didn’t take a stand. Those who took a stand were the fans and journalists”, she criticizes.

The lawyer also cites the cases involving goalkeeper Bruno, striker Robinho and winger Daniel Alves to point out that violence against women continues “to be ignored by clubs as if it were not something important while society no longer tolerates it”.

According to the president of the Locomotiva Institute, Renato Meirelles, Brazil “is a country where 90% of people consider that rapists are not mentally ill, but criminals who must be punished and the pressure from the female Corinthians fans reflects this well “.

According to a study by Locomotiva with Instituto Patrícia Galvão, 6 out of 10 Brazilians know a woman who has been a victim of rape. “Unfortunately this crime is still a reality in our society, but the tolerance for the cases that come to the public is no longer the same as it was years ago, little by little we are advancing as a society”, evaluates Meirelles.