New Delhi, India

Brazil's iconic yellow football jersey is a symbol of pride, passion and victory for the country. It is arguably one of the most recognised sporting jerseys in the world and is loved by football fans across the globe. For Brazilians, the yellow jersey is 'sacred' and unites them over their love for football.

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The yellow shirt has been synonymous with Brazil's incredible success on the football pitch. It reminds fans of the likes of Pele, Romario, Zico and Ronaldinhio among others - some of the greatest to have graced the football pitch. However, the jersey is no more wanted by many in the country, who believe it has been tainted after its adoption by the right-wing supporters of president Jair Bolsonaro.

Known as the 'canarinho jersey', the iconic yellow football shirt was worn by millions of Bolsonaro supporters during political campaigns before the elections in the country in 2018, forcing many fans to give up on it.

The jersey's close association with the Brazilian president has not gone down well with many football supporters, who believe the shirt is now being misrepresented and being misused to spread a 'political agenda'.

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“Football is something iconic for Brazil, it is what brings everybody together most of the time,” 25-year-old  Isabela Guedes told Al Jazeera.

“When they (right-wing supporters) take something so meaningful for the country and use it with political intentions, it is like they are stealing it from us. I don’t feel comfortable hanging a flag on my window during the World Cup because I will be mistaken for people with completely different political views.

They have taken the flag and yellow jersey and turned them into political symbols," she explained.

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Fans, who disagree with the ideologies of president Bolsonaro and his right-wing supporters, avoid wearing the jersey they once used to love unconditionally as they believe it now represents a political ideology different to theirs. Some have even joined calls for the complete abolishment of the iconic yellow shirt.

Brazil's national football team didn't always have the yellow-green stripes as their team shirt and it was designed in 1953, three years after the country's heartbreak at the hands of Uruguay at the World Cup final at Maracana in Rio de Janerio in 1950.

Brazil used to wear the white and blue jersey at the time, which was deemed 'unlucky' after their World Cup loss at home against Uruguay. In 1953, the Brazil football federation launched a design competition along with a newspaper, Correio da Manha, to find a new design for Brazil's new national kit.

The competition was won by 18-year-old Aldyr Garcia Schlee out of more than 300 entries. Garcia, who was left heartbroken after Brazil's final defeat against Uruguay, had designed a yellow shirt with green and yellow hoops along with blue shorts.

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The jersey was finally adopted by the national team in the same year and would go on to become a symbol of joy and glamour that's associated with Brazilian football. Brazil won a record five World Cups with a host of legends producing magic on the football pitch wearing the iconic jersey.

However, analysts believe the joyous moments of Brazilin football are now being used to promote a particular political ideology, in contrast to the unity and the love that the jersey and the nation stand for. 

Brazilian writer and filmmaker Joao Carlos Assumpcao led a campaign a couple of years ago, demanding the national football body abolish the yellow jersey and go back to wearing the white and blue kit. Several pro-democratic groups have also made attempts to disassociate the yellow shirt with Bolsonaro's political ideas and his supporters.

Despite the outrage and the angst against the use of the famous yellow shirt to promote political ideologies, Brazil are expected to continue playing in the Canarinho jersey at the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.