How a yellow jersey is dividing Brazil
BRAZIL
It is all a bit of a farce, this yellow jersey, at which they are all so keen.
If it ever happens it will be a shock to the nation, and if it is, well, maybe we’ll have a bit of fun with it.
It may be a bit of a farce, but not a lot is far from it in Brazil.
In fact, as we shall see, it’s almost impossible to be sure how it’s going to be farce, even though in many instances, there isn’t much else going on.
For instance, this morning’s announcement that the defending world champions, the United States, have been eliminated from the 2008 Olympics football tournament in Beijing, in the round of 16. Or the sudden withdrawal of South Korea, the second-highest ranked South American team, from the 2008 Olympic football tournament yesterday.
When the Olympic movement was founded almost 100 years ago, it was agreed that only national teams from around the world should be allowed to compete in the games.
A national Olympic team was to be selected by an international committee, which also decided on the number of participants and nations allowed.
It is a system that has worked very well, apart from the odd controversy.
When Belgium won the first ever football tournament at the 1912 Olympics, it was in spite of having only five players in the squad. The other seven could not even speak the language used in the tournament.
Similarly, when Japan won the gold medal at the 1964 Olympics, it came thanks to the withdrawal of its national team.
In this way, athletes from countries such as, Japan, South Korea, Norway, Finland, France, Mexico, Ireland, Cuba and Bulgaria all received their Olympic medals in spite of just five players.
But in the case of the South Americans, they are now on the receiving end of a very different challenge as South American football
