Brazil backs down from the red shirt!
The president of the Brazilian Football Confederation, Samir Chaud, announced his complete rejection of the idea of the national team adopting red as its alternate jersey for the 2026 World Cup, to be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. He pointed out that this decision sparked widespread disapproval due to the color's association with Brazil's ruling leftist party. The controversy came to light last April after a press leak reported that the red jersey would be the team's alternate option, while supporters of former right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro preferred the team's traditional colors, yellow and green, at their events. Chaud told Sportivy that he had ordered a halt to the production of red jerseys, noting that the debate over the alternate color had been dominated by people's political leanings. He confirmed that the national team's primary jersey would remain yellow with green trim. He added, "Blue, yellow, green, and white are the colors of our flag, and these are the colors that must be adopted." He explained that his opposition to the red jersey was not based on political reasons, but rather on adherence to the national colors. The federation president, who took office last May, noted that Nike, the team's official sponsor, accepted the decision to stop manufacturing the red jersey and began producing a blue one as a replacement. Production of the red jersey had begun under his predecessor, Ednaldo Rodriguez. The news of the red jersey sparked widespread reactions, with renowned sports writer Paulo Vinicius Coelho calling it evidence of a "lack of political sensitivity."
