“Brazil’s celebrated 1994 World Cup double act of Bebeto and Romário are hoping to convert success on the pitch into political capital this October when the nation votes at federal, state and city level. Both players will stand for the same party – the Partido Socialista Brasileiro (PSB) – but they will be ploughing separate furrows. Indeed their last contact saw Romário fire Bebeto as coach of Rio side America earlier this year. Cynics suggest that Romário’s interest in politics suddenly surged in the wake of having to sell off his penthouse apartment in Rio’s nouveau riche Barra de Tijuca to pay off debts.” (WSC)