A lot of headlines were written about the Brazil team dancing at the World Cup after scoring, especially after the South Korea match. Some ratified it as a cultural affair, some labeled it as unnecessarily flamboyant and disrespectful, some enjoyed the show while others didn't know what to make of it.
Personally, I had no qualms with the issue, but then, when compared with their counterparts Portugal who beat a Switzerland team 6-1 and celebrated with sheer joy, and nothing choreographed or planned beforehand, it tells you a different story of the mentality of both teams. One thing about celebrations like these is that it gives the critics and neutrals stick to beat them with if anything goes wrong. The critics will give their verdict, and the neutrals will say it's karma.
During the whole saga earlier in the season with Vinicius Jnr, it was hard not to side with him, in that his dancing after scoring was an expression of himself, not something to show off with, but it's hard to find sympathy for this Brazil team, as if they're completely focused on proving the wrong points to the critics. Winning is more important than dancing, giving others joy is more important than having joy. They mixed up their priorities in expressing their culture rather in striving to win games through sheer single-mindedness, and their coach got caught up in the whole affair. Emotions can only take you so far, mentality is all that counts.
They also danced on the coach on their way to the Croatia match, now they're out of the World Cup, in tears, crying at the end. The Brazilian team of a few years past have been dogged by fragility and misplaced priorities, said to be embodied by some of their biggest names. You speak of boys who fought tooth and nail to reach their greatest heights, then become blinded at the top and seem to forget what brought them there in the first place. Hunger, fight, and desire. You can be cool and sexy after you've done the job, but never lose sight of why you're here. Not to dance, but to make your country proud, not by showing off the dance culture, but by fighting your hearts out. We recognize the samba, but it's been dead for a long time. I really thought it was their year, guess I was wrong. Give us back our Brazil, a team of superstars not prone to hysteria.
Iyanu Tokede,
Lagos Nigeria.
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