Even though it has been banned in 25 of Brazil’s 26 states for the last 74 years, jogo do bicho (the animal game) remains a cornerstone of Brazilian culture. The first version of the game was created in the late 19th century by João Batista Viana Drummond, an animal-loving entrepreneur with English ancestry. In 1870, Drummond opened the first zoo in Rio de Janeiro, where he set up a raffle to help fund the enterprise. Every day the zoo would sell tickets with 25 different animals printed on the front and, as they closed the doors each evening, Drummond would select a winner.

The raffle proved to be tremendously popular and was later developed into a highly lucrative lottery that made mobsters filthy rich. Despite its illegality, the game has held remarkable sway in Brazilian society – and Brazilian football. In the game, the 25 animals were listed roughly in alphabetical order, with deer coming in at No 24. In Brazil, deers have long been pejoratively associated with gay men, with the Portuguese word for deer – veado – being used as a common homophobic slur in the country.

That association passed over to jogo do bicho and, subsequently, to football. That is why São Paulo supporters were mocked for being “bambis” when their team boasted heart throbs such as Raí and Leonardo in the 1990s. And, in the same way that gamblers avoided picking the number 24 in the game so they avoided picking a deer, footballers have shunned the No 24 shirt to avoid any association with homosexuality.

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The taboo around the shirt number is not just an historical idea in Brazilian football. When Víctor Cantillo joined Corinthians in January, he suggested wearing No 24 as that had been his number at his previous club in Colombia. He was quickly warned off the idea by the Corinthians director of football, Duilio Monteiro Alves, who told Cantillo he would need to choose a different shirt. “Twenty-four here, no,” said Duílio, laughing. His comment was caught on camera and Duílio had to apologise. In the end, Cantillo was granted his wish.

He is not the only player donning the No 24 shirt this season. Bahia – who have tackled various political and societal issues over the last few years – have been trying to take on this taboo for some time. They wanted to give the No 24 shirt to one of their new signings last summer to make a statement about inclusion. “We planned it in September, but as we didn’t buy anyone, it wasn’t possible to pull it off,” says Lênin Franco, the club’s marketing manager.

The club shelved the plan until the start of this year, but that also proved difficult. “When the new players arrived, they all went for their preferred number, so we modified the original idea instead. It was at this moment that Africa [an advertising agency in São Paulo] called us to propose something with the No 24, but in another format – to place the number as a symbol of respect alongside a rainbow to become an icon of both respect and tolerance. Kobe Bryant would be invited to participate. But when his tragic accident occurred, we thought of articulating a tribute to him too, as he represented himself brilliantly, wearing the same shirt for the best part of his career.”

The previous challenge – to find a player who could wear the No 24 shirt – persisted. “The idea was to choose someone with a very prepared mind to talk about the subject, who understood the strength of the project and who actually believed in the cause. We understood that Flávio had these characteristics, so we spoke to him and he agreed immediately.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Flavio takes to the pitch wearing a No 24 shirt. Photograph: Felipe Oliveira/Bahia

Flávio, the club’s 24-year-old defensive midfielder, did not hesitate. “The club presented the idea to me and I accepted it right away,” he says. “The moment coincided with a tragedy in the death of Kobe Bryant, who was one of my biggest idols and also used the No 24. Therefore, I did it for two motives. But the cause, something far greater, which I support 100%, made me decide to use 24 for the rest of the season. The time has come for us to put an end to prejudices and archaic intolerance in football.”

Flávio is well aware that wearing the No 24 shirt will make him a target. “Machismo and homophobia are very strong,” he says. “And provocations against footballers are common, unfortunately. They can try to use any argument or insult to throw the opposition off their game. In truth, it would be fantastic if rival fans supported the movement, to show that a human cause is above any type of rivalry.”

Bahia are aware they will even alienate some of their own fans. “Every campaign creates some kind of risk,” says Franco. “We can’t please 100% of the support. What’s more important is that the club understands its role in society. We understand that a football club should not just worry itself with what happens within the four lines of the pitch. It should be an agent of transformation in society.

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“The role of the club is to put these issues on the agenda from the perspective of humanitarian and social causes, without party policies. It is thinking about the common good that we do the campaigns, because the club is a communication cannon and needs to reverberate the voices that do not always have a space to be heard.”

The movement keeps growing in scope and support, with the help of the hashtag #numerodorespeito (#numberofrespect). It received a monumental boost when Gabriel Barbosa, the biggest star playing in Brazil, wore the shirt while scoring Flamengo’s winning goal in their 2-1 win over Boavista in the Rio State Cup last weekend.

Though Flávio thinks it is “practically impossible” to “end this problem and taboo” outright, he is proud to be one of the players who are taking a stand. “Society will remember those who had the courage to do something about it,” he says. “For me, a number doesn’t mean anything. What is important is that everyone respects one another, regardless of what their race, gender or sexual orientation is.”

• This is an article from Yellow & Green Football

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