Sunday wasn’t a great day for Vasco goalkeeper Sidão, and it got so bad that Everton star Richralison came out in support of him.
The 38-year-old had ‘the saddest day of his career’, and his side’s 3-0 defeat to Santos wasn’t the main reason for it.
Vasco knew they would have a hard task when travelling to face Jorge Sampaoli’s side for the fourth fixture of the Brazilian League. And as a tribute to Mother’s Day, Sidão had on his back the name of his mother, who passed away when he was still a teenager. ‘Vera Lucia, infinite love’ was written on his shirt.
But things didn’t go well from the start. In the 19th minute, Sidão misplaced a pass which resulted in Santos’ first goal. In the 33rd, he couldn’t cover his own corner to save Rodrygo’s shot. The goalkeeper couldn’t be blamed for the third goal, but other hesitations during the match made it clear he wasn’t feeling comfortable.
That’s when internet trolls decided to act. They voted for Sidão to be the man of the match, and Globo TV felt forced to give him the award, since he got 90% of the votes. Even though the journalists were reportedly against the decision, the channel’s board gave the green light for the award to be delivered.
Reporter Júlia Guimarães seemed clearly embarrassed to do so, and after a short interview, told Sidão she had to give him the award. The goalkeeper politely said ‘ok’, and walked to the dressing room, clearly not happy.
Sidão teve má atuação na derrota do Vasco diante do Santos, mas foi eleito craque do jogo pelos internautas. Respeitosamente, o goleiro recebeu o troféu após admitir que seu desempenho foi determinante para o insucesso 👏👏👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/19ThBJMUW5
— globoesportecom (@globoesportecom) May 12, 2019
The reaction was obviously the worst. Fans and media had go at Globo, and players later joined the bandwagon too. Even Neymar and Santos sent Sidão a message of support.
Walter Casagrande, who was a commentator at the match, apologised to Sidão for the award. Reporter Júlia Guimarães tweeted saying the goalkeeper ‘knows the respect she has for him’.
When a man who calls himself a journalist called Sidão a douchebag for not taking the award, which he actually did, Everton star Richarlison responded saying the guy was a ‘piece of s***’.
Vc é um 💩
— Richarlison Andrade (@richarlison97) May 13, 2019
The Everton player’s reply has proved popular.
Asked by Jovem Pan if it was the worst day of his career, Sidão said: “I think so, because it’s Mother’s Day and my mother’s name on my back. It’s going to be very sad today.” He also published a post on Instagram asking for respect.
Sidão had problems with drugs at the time his mother died, and only managed to play at top level when over 30 years old. That’s one of the reasons why he’s getting so much support in Brazil.
Globo later released an official statement apologising for their actions and saying they will change the way the award is judged in the next fixture.
