Gabriel Barbosa will wear ‘gay’ No24 shirt to honour Kobe Bryant and fight homophobia in Brazilian football
ON Monday night South American champions Flamengo played their first game at full strength since losing to Liverpool in the final of the Club World Cup. They came from behind in Rio’s Maracana stadium to beat Resende 3-1, with their second goal headed home by star striker Gabriel ‘Gabi-goal’ Barbosa. He was wearing his traditional […]
ON Monday night South American champions Flamengo played their first game at full strength since losing to Liverpool in the final of the Club World Cup.
They came from behind in Rio’s Maracana stadium to beat Resende 3-1, with their second goal headed home by star striker Gabriel ‘Gabi-goal’ Barbosa.
He was wearing his traditional No9 shirt. But in the next game, on Saturday against Madureira, he is set to be sporting a different number.
Gabriel will have the No24 on his back.
There is no immediate connection with Kobe Bryant, although the fact that this number was so associated with the basketball star has probably added an impetus to the switch.
A taboo is being broken in Brazil, where footballers have traditionally run from the 24. This is not superstition. It is prejudice.
MACHO WORLD OF BRAZILIAN FOOTBALL
For nearly 130 years Brazil has had a lottery, technically illegal but generally tolerated, in which every number has a relationship with an animal.
This is because the lottery was started with the aim of raising funds for the Rio de Janeiro zoo.
And the number 24 was attributed to the deer, which is used in Brazil as a pejorative term for a homosexual.
In a fiercely macho society, no player wanted to be associated with this number.
Relief was often expressed that World Cup squads go up to 23. But things are changing.
A CHANGE OF TIDE
At the start of the year Corinthians of Sao Paulo unveiled a new signing, the excellent Colombian midfielder Victor Cantillo.
In his native land he wore the number 24, which has no such connotations in Colombia.
GAY RIGHTS – Homophobia in Brazilian football
THE No24 is represents a deer in a Brazilian lottery game – and deer is a homophobic slur.
Clubs historically avoid the No24 shirt as a result.</p>
<p>But the death of Kobe Bryant – who wore the No24 for the Los Angeles Laker – in a helicopter crash in January 2020 has prompted a change.</p>
<p>Football magazine <em>Corner</em> has started a campaign to end the stigma with the hashtag #PedeA24 – or Ask for 24.</p>
<p>And first division football club Bahia announced its players will wear the 24 shirt to highlight their pledge to end prejudice.</p>
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When he was presented to the press, a club director commented that he would have to change numbers, since a Corinthians player would not be seen in the 24 shirt.
A few years ago this would have gone unnoticed. But this time it set off a backlash.
Cantillo said that he had no problems wearing 24. Kobe Bryant clearly had no problems either.
And so, a fifth of the way into the twenty first century, why should it still be an issue?
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Clubs up and down the country have announced that they will start using the 24 – and Gabriel has announced that he will wear it on Saturday.
He is currently one of the biggest figures in the domestic Brazilian game, with an explosive charisma that seems to have an appeal beyond fans of his own club.
So if he can feel comfortable wearing the 24 shirt, then this particular barrier will have fallen for ever – and Brazilian football can get on with finding better things to talk about.