Romario, Bebeto: 'Diabolical Duo' at the polls in Brazil

By Diana Renee Sep 30, 2010, 20:25 GMT

Rio de Janeiro - Retired Brazilian strikers Romario and Bebeto lead a group of sportspeople seeking office in Brazil's general election on Sunday.

Sixteen years after making up the 'Diabolical Duo' that took Brazil to its fourth World Cup title in 1994, both are hoping to enter the world of politics.

According to the latest opinion polls, Romario - who is seeking a seat in the federal Congress for the Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB) - will be among the candidates with the most votes in Rio de Janeiro.

He is virtually guaranteed a place in the legislature in Brasilia, some 1,000 kilometres away from the beaches that he loves so much.

Bebeto, in turn, is not looking to leave Rio and is standing for a seat in the state legislature for the Democratic Workers' Party (PDT), although analysts say that he might not manage to get elected.

For Romario, the campaign has been about as easy as scoring a goal. His huge popularity has been the main engine of an electoral effort which has focused on the poor neighbourhoods in the outskirts of Rio and other cities.

The support he gets on the streets surprises even Romario.

'This is a completely new experience for me, and I was surprised by the people's good disposition to learn about my proposals,' the 'Baixinho,' the little short guy, said.

The man who scored more than one thousand goals according to his own controversial count and whose youngest daughter Ivy was born with Down's syndrome, proposes measures to support children with special needs.

And he also vows to fight for a 'social legacy' for Rio de Janeiro from the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and from the 2016 Olympics that the city is set to host.

According to Romario, such a legacy should include an expansion of the basic sewage and drinking water networks, the construction of cheap homes, permanent projects combining social work and sports and courses to train qualified sports professionals including coaches, teachers, physiotherapists and others.

Romario and Bebeto are the most famous, but they are not the only retired sportspeople seeking to draw on their popularity to attain public office across Brazil.

Among them are former volleyball player Andre Falbo Ferreira, better known as 'Pampa,' a member of the Brazil team which won Olympic gold in Barcelona 1992, and former world champion boxer Acelino 'Popo' Freitas.

But the list does not just include idols: there are also some 'villains.' Swimmer Rebeca Gusmao, banned for life from sport for doping offences, is a candidate to the Brasilia local assembly for the Brazilian Communist Party (PCdoB).

According to political scientist Rui Tavares Maluf, fame is no guarantee at the polls, 'but it certainly helps' in a candidate's campaign.

There are currently 23 former sportspeople seeking an electoral win, up form 17 in the 2006 election.

While they insist that their aim is to work for the people, it is undeniable that a political career offers other attractions: a Brazilian federal legislator, who only needs to attend Congress three days a week, gets 180,000 dollars per year in salary and other benefits.

For Romario, for example, this would come in very handy: when he declared his financial status before electoral authorities at the start of the campaign, he said he had assets worth less than half-a- million dollars, a surprisingly low amount after two decades of a most successful career.

In recent years, Romario has had a series of financial difficulties.

In August 2009, he lost a luxury flat on the Barra da Tijuca beach, auctioned off for 4.36 million dollars to settle debts with his neighbours. In December of that year, he was found guilty of tax evasion and condemned to pay a fine of around 224,000 dollars, as well as doing community service for 30 months.

Beyond a good salary, a seat in Congress would give Romario parliamentary immunity. So he would no longer have to face the humiliation he underwent in July 2009, when he had to spend one night in prison for delaying payment on child support for the two sons he had with his first wife.