How Brazil’s election result could shape women’s football in the country

Female players including Carlinha and Tayla Carolina have spoken out against the far-right, who they fear will harm the women’s game as well as wider society The day before the first round of Brazilian elections, the Estádio do Morumbi hosted the second leg of the Brazilian Women’s Championship final, in which São Paulo drew 1-1 with Corinthians to win 3-2 on aggregate and secure the Brasileirão Women’s title. It had been an incredible final but after the game the goalkeeper Carlinha used an interview to appeal to her fans: “Never again Bolsonaro in power,” she shouted to a record-breaking TV audience of 23 million people.

Having lost her grandmother during the Covid-19 pandemic, Carlinha recalls the challenges faced by hundreds of thousands of Brazilian families when the far-right president Jair Bolsonaro spread fake information about the virus while ignoring public appeals for the government to buy and distribute vaccinations.