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Former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane says Brazil’s World Cup goal celebrations were disrespectful to their opposition.
Now working as a pundit, Keane compared the behaviour of the players to watching an episode of Strictly Come Dancing, as reported by Sky Sports.
Brazil’s stars burst into dance after every goal in Monday’s 4-1 round of 16 win over South Korea, with manager Tite even getting in on the action.
Keane annoyed at disrespectful Brazil dancing
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The five-time world champions eased past the Asian nation, with Vinicius Jr, Neymar, Richarlison and Lucas Paqueta all netting inside the first 45 minutes in the win.
Paik Seung-ho grabbed a consolation for Paulo Bento’s side late on, but all eyes were on the star-studded Brazil team. However, former Republic of Ireland international Keane was not impressed with the goal celebrations.
“I can’t believe what I’m watching, it’s like watching Strictly,” said Keane.
“I don’t like this. People say it’s their culture. But I think that’s really disrespecting the opposition. It’s four goals, and they are doing it every time.
“I don’t mind so much the first jig, it’s the one after that, and the manager getting involved. I’m not happy about it. I don’t think it’s good at all.”
Tite: Dancing solely based on ‘happiness’
As mentioned, Brazil manager Tite took part in the celebrations, with Richarlison encouraging his boss to dance alongside the players after their third goal.
The boss has since responded to the disrespectful allegations, saying that the dancing was a means of him bonding with his young team.
“There’s no interpretation other than happiness at the goal, happiness for the team, happiness for the performance,” said Tite. “There was no disrespect for the opposition nor towards Paulo Bento for whom I have a lot of respect.
“We try to adapt to the characteristics of the players. They are very young and I try to adapt a bit to their language, and part of their language is dancing.”
The situation has caused much debate among football fans, with some taking the side of Keane, and others taking the side of Tite and the Brazil players.
Brazil set up Croatia quarter-final tie
With the 4-1 win, Brazil have set up a quarter-final meeting with Croatia, who were runners-up in the 2018 final. Croatia also overcame Asian opposition in the round of 16, defeating Japan 3-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
The last eight meeting takes place on Friday, with Brazil set to take on Argentina in the semi-finals, should both South American sides win their respective matches.
Tite’s men finally came to life in Qatar, having scored just three goals from their three group matches.
Tottenham Hotspur forward Richarlison netted a double in the 2-0 victory over Serbia, with Manchester United midfielder Casemiro scoring the only goal of the game against Switzerland.
Brazil then lost 1-0 to Cameroon in their final group game, but had already done enough by that stage to finish top of Group G.
They were, however, in full flow against South Korea, with the star-studded lineup showcasing their skills in the commanding win.
The match also witnessed a heartwarming moment from Tite, who brought on third-choice goalkeeper Weverton for the final 10 minutes. He replaced Liverpool’s Alisson, meaning Brazil became the first nation to use all 26 players at the 2022 World Cup.
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📷: Lucas Figueiredo / CBF pic.twitter.com/3C1SZ6pwYt
— CBF Futebol (@CBF_Futebol) December 5, 2022
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