BRAZILIAN presidential candidate Lula da Silva criticised football star Neymar’s support of far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, accusing the player of being motivated by a debt “pardon”. 

Last month, Neymar endorsed hardline conservative Bolsonaro as he fights to win re-election in his October 30 runoff battle against leftist ex-leader Lula.

“Neymar has the right to choose whoever he wants to be president. I think he is afraid that if I win the election I will find out what Bolsonaro pardoned from his income tax debt,” Lula said in a YouTube interview yesterday.

“I think that’s why he’s afraid of me,” Lula added, laughing, when asked about Neymar’s support for the president.

Expectations of a close contest have pushed both sides to intensify their attacks before the runoff, with Lula the frontrunner after the first-round election on October 2.

“Obviously, Bolsonaro made a deal with (Neymar’s) father. He now has an income tax problem in Spain,” Lula said, alluding to a favourable ruling the player obtained in a tax evasion trial in Brazil, as well as the charges he faces in Barcelona for alleged irregularities in his 2013 club transfer. 

Lula added that it was ultimately a problem for the country’s tax collection agency, and not him.

This week, Lula secured the backing of another football legend. 

Former Brazilian player and Paris Saint-Germain star Rai gave Lula a silent shout-out at a gala awards ceremony in Paris, mentioning his country’s elections before flashing an “L” sign with his right hand.

Lula has 53% of the vote heading into the October 30 run-off, to 47% for Bolsonaro, according to a poll released Friday by the Datafolha institute. – AFP, October 19, 2022.