Russian Championship, Fan ID: interview with Sochi defender Rodrigao, comments and opinion about the conflict – “Championship”
The Brazilian Rodrigao from Sochi again became the hero of the news feeds. Now, not because of a possible transition to Zenit, but after his answer to the question about the boycott of fans in connection with the introduction of Fan ID in Russia. Rodrigao spoke on this topic in an interview with the correspondent of the “Championship”:
“Little fans in the stands is a good idea. Silence at the stadium… And without fail there will be no hooligans at the match. This is safety. Spend the whole season without fans? It doesn’t matter if it’s possible to play. Of course, I prefer to have fans. But if it turns out that they are not, for me the most important thing is still the game!”
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Rodrigao immediately began to hate in injuries. The Brazilian was accused of not caring about the fans, and in Russia he is only because of the money. Our football experts also responded very harshly to the Sochi defender. For example, the ex-player of CSKA and the Russian national team Andrey Solomatin (by the way, he himself became a real fan) used the word “idiot”:
“Brazilian’s statement about Fan ID? Flag of Rodrigao in hand. For every thousand there is one idiot. Could these words delay the Brazilian’s move to Zenit? To be honest, I don’t care about this Rodrigao.”
The former goalkeeper of Spartak and the USSR national team Anzor Kavazashvili is comparable to a legionnaire with a man without a soul.
“I don’t understand why he plays football then? Kavazashvili said. – This is a folk game. Why would he go then to other clubs, cities? Let him sit at home and play alone. I do not understand the impulse of such players who play only for themselves. Without a view, without emotions, noise, delight. Football is a sustainable sport. This is ecstasy, crisis love. It’s attention grabbing and so on. And if Rodrigao doesn’t need it, he’s probably a very poor man. And not in terms of money, but in terms of the soul.
In fact, Rodrigao is being hated in vain. The meaning of differences in cultures and contexts. In Brazil, fans are a real problem for society. They press and attack the players, thrash in the stands, constantly fight with the police, with each other, and sometimes even kill. A few days ago, we met with Rodrigao in St. Petersburg, where he defended his first in-depth interview in Russia after moving to Sochi in the summer of 2021. The Brazilian said that in his homeland, the behavior of the fans is often impressive on the emotions of the players, the quality of the game, although he himself is for sportsmanship and respect on the field. Doesn’t like performances.
Rodrigao
Photo: Dmitry Golubovich, Championship
Rodrigao, obviously, proceeded from elementary logic: if Fan ID is adopted in Russia, then the authorities and society approve this idea. He is fluent in Russian and English, a Brazilian, of course, cannot know the details of history – one of the most pressing problems of football fanaticism in our country. Can’t know what’s going on outside the stadium on match days. And, of course, they did not read the supporters of fanatical organizations who, opposing innovations, express their point of view with reason. A person is just a public for order – what’s wrong with that?
In the same interview for the Championship, Rodrigao spoke about playing for fun: “I like to just play, show myself, please the fans.”
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After the interview, we talked for a few minutes with Rodrigao about Russia. And I saw: the Sochi legionnaire really respects our country. He made it clear that many Brazilians – football players and tourists – are afraid to go here, because they believe the propaganda that is being spread by the Western media. But Rodrigao himself tells his relatives and friends that everything is not at all like that. Being in Russia, he knows it. In Sochi, Rodrigao lives with his wife, the father of the football player flew to visit them. The Brazilian was described as “very cool” at the club. All this only proves: one cannot hastily judge others by one inaccurate wording of a phrase, put a stigma.
By the way, the RPL no longer participates in terms of salary as before. And, for example, Rodrigao could easily get the same money somewhere in Asia. Moreover, Sochi is far from Zenit in terms of salaries. There are also sports ambitions. Now it’s a little more difficult with them because of the situation in European competitions, but this does not mean that every legionnaire should leave where he feels good. The Brazilian, like all of us, hopes that Russia will return to European competition in a season.
Let’s be honest: Rodrigue will question like any ordinary fan. No normal person wants to see the stadium turned into a place for crime, continuous abuse and destruction. Fans in Russia are very cool, they love their teams very much, and neither Russian football players nor foreigners will definitely go up against such teams.