August 10 – Brazil’s leading players could get so demoralised they might refuse to play in the Olympics if they keep getting booed. That was the stark warning issued by national coach Rogerio Micale as the host nation’s Olympic men’s team approached their must-win fixture against Denmark.
The Brazilians were booed off after successive 0-0 draws against South Africa and Iraq, much of their anger targeted on Neymar and Renato Augusto, two of the three over-age players permitted.
Micale has called on fans to get behind the team against Denmark later today warning stars like Neymar, who reportedly urged Barcelona to release him for the Olympics, are under no obligation to play for their country.
“If we don’t respect our best players they might not want to be with us anymore,” Micale said. “Neymar wanted to be with the national side and he had to take this on and at the age of 24 people are making so many demands of him.”
While Marta was showered with praise as Brazil’s women progressed to the quarterfinals, the men are on the verge of elimination from the one major international competition they have yet to win. Which is exactly why Micale has urged the fans to stop barracking the players.
“Neymar will one day become the best player in the world and we need to respect him. He is young and I know that sometimes he behaves in a way we might not agree with, but at his age wouldn’t we do the same things he does, having everything he has?
“Generally, a player reaches his peak at 28, both physically and mentally, and he has had to deal with the pressure of being a leader since he was 17 years old. We only need a single victory to reach the next round and remain alive in our fight for a medal. We must stay calm, trust ourselves, and things will be different when the ball starts to go in.”
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