Release Clause

Whether it was for genuine sporting reasons or a PR stunt gone wrong, Boa Esporte Clube’s signing of a convicted murderer has caused outrage.

- Jack Lang

Brazil

On March 8, Cruzeiro – one of Brazilian football’s traditional “big 12” – took to the field for a cup match against Murici-AL wearing a special kit. The jerseys were royal blue, as ever, but did not carry the names of the players. Instead, to mark International Women’s Day, the squad numbers spelt out statistics highlighting the challenges faced by women in Brazil.

“Salaries 30% lower” read the shirt belonging to midfielder Thiago Neves. Others were even more shocking: “A rape every 11 minutes”; “A woman killed every two hours”. The club earned widespread praise, both at home and abroad, for drawing attention to such a worthy cause. In a country as patriarchal as Brazil, such gestures make waves.

Other clubs essayed their own initiatives, but if the sport was hoping to present a united front on the issue of women’s rights, the waters would soon be muddied in galling fashion. Two days later, second-tier Boa Esporte Clube – neighbours of Cruzeiro – signed Bruno Fernandes de Souza, a player who, four years prior, had been convicted of the brutal murder of the mother of his child.