Brazilian striker Ronaldo may shed some light on his mysterious performance in the 1998 World Cup Final when he appears before a congressional commission on Wednesday.
|
|
Questions to be answered over Ronaldo's World Cup performance?
|
Ronaldo will testify to a lower house commission investigating the national team's $400 million 10-year sponsorship deal with sportswear giant Nike.
The contract is one of the subjects being discussed in the hearing.
It is also investigating allegations that the Brazilian game is riddled with corrupt and unethical practices.
Brazilian sports commentators have asked persistent questions about why Ronaldo played against France despite suffering convulsive fits hours before the game.
A visibly shaken Ronaldo was a shadow of his normal self, and could do little to stop his side tumbling to a 3-0 defeat.
|
Pundits have suggested that Ronaldo, who was then considered the best player in the world, was pressured by sponsors to play.
"From everything we've heard, we are 99 percent certain that Ronaldinho was in no condition to go onto the field," said federal deputy Silvio Torres, head of the commission.
Nike has denied that the company has a say in team selection. "Nike does not call players, Nike does not line up players," a spokesman said.
But Ronaldo's grilling by a congressional panel will be watched closely for signs of something more sinister.
The contract clearly touches a raw nerve with many fans who fear interference a matter of national sovereignty.
Mario Zagallo, who coached Brazil in the 1998 final, told the panel the decision to play Ronaldo was based on medical advice.
"If the best player in the world tells me that he is fit to play, I have to put him in the lineup," he said.
Zagallo also denied that Nike had a representative on the Brazilian delegation in France. This version of events has been contradicted by Edmundo, who was Ronaldo's potential replacement in the game.
A parallel Senate investigation into wider allegations of corruption, tax evasion and fraud has so far made little headway.
There is a growing sense of despair among Brazilian soccer fans who feel that the game is being dragged into the mud by poor administration and greed.
The national team frequently played to jeers last year as fans vented their frustration at what they see as falling standards.
Brazilian football reached an all time low at the Sydney Olympics when its uninspired team was eliminated by a Cameroon team reduced to nine men.
Brazil coach Wanderley Luxemburgo subsequently fell amid allegations of unlawful commissions on transfers.
The national championship also descended into chaos when the final between Vasco da Gama and Sao Caetano was suspended after a fence collapsed at a stadium apparently filled beyond capacity.
A Rio de Janeiro sports tribunal is slated to rule later on Tuesday on whether to order a rematch or hand the title to Sao Caetano. - Reuters