Romario - Brazilian Congressman and Former Footballer HARDtalk


Romario - Brazilian Congressman and Former Footballer

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trip was the first person to alert authorities ` before the crew made a

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distress call to the coastguard. Welcome to HARDtalk. In just a

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couple of time, the World Cup will kick off here in Rozelle. It will be

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the combination of years of preparation and billions of dollars

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of investment. In arenas like this one. The brand`new national stadium

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in resilient. In this country, they love their football and they love to

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party so there is a huge sense of anticipation but there is another

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feeling in the air too. Trepidation. Because some of the World Cup

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stadium are not ready. Allegations of corruption are swirling around.

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There is a fear that this World Cup may be remembered not just for the

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goal scored on the pitch but the protests of them.

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My guess the date is one of Brazil's injuring football heroes. Romario.

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This is believed most beautiful spot in all of resilient.

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He was a World Cup winner in 1994, scorer of 1000 goals, a footballing

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rebel with a millionaire lifestyle was now an outspoken socialist MP.

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It's funny because it's a very calm, very clean city, with very dirty

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politics. You might think he would be one of

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the World Cup's most enthusiastic ambassadors. In fact, he is one of

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its harshest critics. Why? Romario, welcome to HARDtalk.

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The World Cup is little more than two months away and, as one of

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Brazil's greatest footballing stars, we might expect you to be feeling

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excited. Are you feeling excited? And yet you have been one of the

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leading voices, very critical of the way the organisation of the World

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Cup has gone. How are you feeling about that organisation right now?

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It looks as though the World Cup will cost billions of dollars. Many

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of the stadiums that have been built have cost hundreds of millions of

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dollars and some of them will get barely used after the World Cup has

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finished. If you had been in charge of

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organising this tournament, how would you do it?

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You said not so long ago that when you see in this country schools

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where kids get no lunch, classrooms don't have air`conditioning and

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where hospitals are short of beds, if we had spent 30% less on the

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World Cup we would have money for things that really matter. It sounds

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like you are very angry with the decisions made by the football

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authorities and the central government?

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Who is getting rich off this World Cup?

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You seem to have declared war on a number of different targets. You

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called the Brazilian football bosses cancer, you accused the president of

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Fifa Sepp Blatter of being a thief, the director`general of Fifa you

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called a blackmailer. Is that the right kind of language to be using

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when Brazil is under the spotlight across the world?

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But in saying the things you have said in such an outspoken way, you

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have fallen out with quite a few of Brazil's registered footballers. ``

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greatest footballers. For example, Pele says Brazil's own people are in

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danger of spoiling this World Cup party. People should understand that

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football brings in money and benefits to the people of our

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country. Ronaldo, a great striker like yourself, says new stadiums

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have to be built as part of the World Cup preparation.

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You say only two voices but after all Pele is Brazil's greatest

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footballer. When you called him an imbecile, it seemed to show a

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certain lack of respect. Let's talk about the protests. In

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the last year we've seen serious street protest in Brazil and there

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is much talk of more protests being targeted at the World Cup itself.

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Let me be clear with you. Do you believe people should be out on the

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streets, protesting and demonstrating at the World Cup?

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Is there not a danger that you are stirring things up, by saying people

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have the right and should protest, using the World Cup as a focus for

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their anger? You are creating a situation which could lead to

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violence, could lead to real danger. You have been very critical during

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this interview of the football authorities in Brazil and Fifa. Do

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you see anything positive coming out of the World Cup for Brazil?

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Let me get a little bit personal with you and explore your own

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beliefs and what shape them because you, of course one of Brazil's

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greatest football stars but you were raised in a favela. I wonder if your

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childhood and you're up bringing have played a crucial role in what

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has become your political career as a socialist. Is your background what

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defines you? It seems something happened to you

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in the course of your career, the switch from sport to politics. I

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just wondered what it was, you had a reputation for being, sort of, the

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bad boy of football. You enjoyed life, stayed out late, you were

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something like a party animal. Now, you have become a politician, known

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to your attendance record and seriousness. What happened? `` known

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for your. It is interesting how you put it,

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you say you have not changed, you are still the same Romario. You are

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under intense pressure, you are a celebrity and Brazilians watch your

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every move. This your for example you have had some trouble with the

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police and a drink`driving charge. The Brazilian media was all over

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it. Because you are now an elected politician. You have two live to a

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high standard. ``to live. Tell me a little bit about the

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particular focus you have put in your politics on the plight of the

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disabled in Brazil. It is very close to home, isn't it? Born out of

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personal experience for you? Before we end, I want to switch back

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from politics to football. Let me ask you about the status of football

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in Brazil today, `` the state of football. There is something very

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strange that happens in Brazil to talented young footballers, they

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grabbed, at the age of 12, 14, 15, taken from their homes, and many are

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encouraged, very early, to move to Europe, and they are still young

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kids. Often forced huge sums of money. They are living a long way

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from home on a different continent. `` often forced huge sums. I wonder

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about the way that Holland is developed in Brazil today, is it

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healthy? `` talent. If I may, let me ask you this:

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thinking back to your own situation when you were taken in your early

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20s to Holland, many Brazilians, even younger, they are playing in

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big leagues. Is there a danger of Brazilian players being treated as

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little more than a commodity, a piece of meat? To be traded by big

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businessmen. This seems to be the irony of this

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World Cup year in Brazil, we are going to celebrate football in the

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nation which is best at football, Brazil, but the domestic game is

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full of corruption, there is violence, the crowds and attendances

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in many of the stadiums is going down. You could argue that football

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in Brazil is actually facing a crisis?

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You have already made it plain to me that you do not believe the

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currently does of Brazilian football are capable of change. Maybe... You

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can do it? I cannot leave your house without

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asking you the simple and obvious question: Who is going to win the

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World Cup? We will wait and see, but for now,

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Romario, thank you very much for being on HARDtalk.

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