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Brazil legend Juninho Pernambucano has slammed PSG star Neymar for supporting the country's far-right presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro, Brazil's outgoing president, suffered a stunning defeat in the election over the weekend, with the left-leaning Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva winning.
Bolsonaro has made no secret of his right-wing policies while in power, and one of his most vocal and famous supporters was Brazil winger Neymar. According to The Mail, the winger reiterated his support for Bolsonaro weeks before the election, despite his incredibly controversial policies and ideology.
However, former playmaker Juninho has heavily criticised the former Barcelona star, claiming that Neymar has forgotten his roots as he described Bolsonaro's supporters as 'fascists.'
The former Lyon attacking midfielder said (as per Juan Arango on Twitter):
"I get sick when I see right-wing Brazilian players like Neymar supporting fascists. We come from below, and we are the people. How can we be on the other side?"
Neymar has made a great start to the season for PSG, bagging 14 goals and 11 assists in 18 games across competitions.
PSG and Brazil megastar Neymar explains his support for far-right presidential candidate
Being Brazil's most famous active player, Neymar backingthe right-wing Bolsonaro was certainly controversial and headling-grabbing. The Mail reports that Lula Da Silva has publicly accused Neymar of supporting Bolsonaro, as he has forgiven the winger's income tax debt.
However, the PSG attacker moved to quash that report, as he said on Bolsanaro's YouTube channel:
"What motivated me to express my opinion are the values that the President represents; they are the same as mine, those of my family. He defends the people, the children, the family. … It's important to take a stand. I call on those who hesitate to do so. It's a right; it's important to express your values. I'm proud to do that."
Da Silva later replied:
"Neymar has the right to choose who he wants as president. I think he is afraid that if I win the election, I will know what Bolsonaro has forgiven him (about) his income tax debt. I think that's why he's afraid of me. It's obvious that Bolsonaro made a deal with (Neymar's) father. Now he has tax problems in Spain, this is a problem for the tax collection agency, not mine."
Neymar is in a rich vein of form for Brazil this year, scoring five times in his last four appearances. The 30-year-old forward will look to guide Brazil to their sixth FIFA World Cup and their first since 2002.
