In a speech read after his debut with Atletico-PR, the coach acknowledges the mistakes and promises action
Cuca made his debut in charge of Atletico-PR by beating Londrina 6-0 in the quarter-finals of the Campeonato Paranaense. At the end of the match, the coach used the press conference to comment on the situation conviction for sexual act with a minor and coercionrecently annulled by the Regional Court of Bern-Mittelland, Switzerland.
See Cuca’s full statement:
“I confess to you that I am nervous. It is a very serious, very important topic.
I wrote it to avoid the risk of making mistakes, because I’m not good with words, I’m too “boleirão”. I wanted to talk about the last few months I have lived. Almost a year ago I left Corinthians and you can imagine what I’m going through and how much I’m reflecting. Before speaking I needed to listen to my wife, my daughters. I wrote this text with their help. Because I still don’t feel informed enough to talk about something so strong. For them and for everyone I wrote and I don’t want to make mistakes.
I listened to opinions and tried to understand my role. At the beginning of the year I read an article by Milly Lacombe, from UOL, in which she said it wasn’t about me. I understood what she meant. She’s not JUST about me, she’s about me too. I chose to close myself off for a long time, but I was able to move on with my life, while a woman who suffers any kind of violence cannot move on with her life without being hurt, she carries the impact forever . I was able to move on with my life. The world of football and the world of men had never expected anything from me, But the world is changing and I think it’s for the better.
There is no point in being a great coach, husband, father, grandfather, brother, if I don’t understand that the world is more than football and that I am part of these things. I saw the problems, but I remained silent because society allowed me, as a man, to remain silent. Today I understand that silence sounds like cowardice. I tried to listen more, understand more, learn more.
I can’t change the past. Many men now listen to me and are able to look to the past to review their attitudes. We know that the world is a different place for men and women, and when we see it we may resist, but things are starting to change. But honest and true changes require time, dedication, study, they are painful and demanding.
Reality must be transformed to make the world a safer place for women. The world of football is still a world of great prejudices. I realized that when people accuse me it’s not just my fault, but it’s about the way we treat women. I don’t say this as an isolated speech to please someone, or in words. If so, I would have talked about it earlier. I say it from the heart.
I want and I am committed to being part of the transformation. I will do it with the power of education. I want to help. I want to shed light, use the voice I have to, in addition to educating myself, also educate other men, especially young people who love football. Sudden success is a challenge. Many get lost along the way with fame and money. We are led to believe that we can do anything, including disrespecting women. We need to give younger people the opportunity not to make mistakes like so many of us do. It is there that we can raise awareness, make people reflect, orient themselves. Success, money and fame are useless if you get lost along the way.
I thought I was free from my anguish when I solved my problem with dismissal of the case and compensation. But I understood that it wasn’t over because it didn’t just depend on the court’s decision, but that I had to understand what society expected of me. What you will see from me from now on will not be words, they will be actions. But thank you for listening to me today.”
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
