Something to Cheer About

Latin America has many dictators and detractors, but they do not raise the passions that its heroes do. Last week, as Brazil almost dissolved into pandemonium, the cause was not politics but soccer. When its team had defeated Italy 4-1 to win the World Cup in Mexico City, the country erupted in what Jornal do Brasil bannered as THE BIGGEST CARNAVAL IN HISTORY.

Empty streets filled with honking processions of cars, samba bands and conga dancers who happily chanted "Bra--sit! Bra--sil! Bra--sil!" In Rio, fireworks exploded in the evening sky, while air-force jets trailing plumes of smoke swooped low over Copacabana Beach. The only untoward aspect of the celebration was the toll of dead and injured. Brazilian doctors had publicly warned heart patients not to watch the match on TV, but many did anyhow and died of overexcitement. Some celebrators blew off hands with firecrackers or were trampled underfoot in the streets.

The center of much of the fuss was Brazil's No. 1 hero, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pele. The star of Brazil's Santos team, he is universally regarded as the best player in the game. His annual income: an estimated $500,000 from salary, bonuses, endorsement fees and his many business interests. At 29, he has played on all three of Brazil's world-championship teams, a feat that has made him a national idol in a land where futebol is revered and a welcome escape from an often dreary existence. Pele, who plays inside left, scored one goal and set up two in the victory over Italy. Brazil as a three-time winner gained permanent possession of the cup, although, of course, the quadrennial championships will continue.

Safety Valve. Mobbed by well-wishers at the airport in Brasilia, the country's inland capital, Pele told them that the cup victory was "the greatest moment of my life." He believed it, and so did the fans, who delight in Pele's every triumph. The victory provided the Brazilians with a chance to resort to their natural safety valve: the Carnaval. This spontaneous outburst, as Brazilian psychologists have observed, gives the torn and fragmented nation an opportunity to coalesce in a common cause and experience a common joy.

It seemed to work that way last week. In Brasilia, the President, retired Army Marshal Emilio Garrastazu Medici, who is usually withdrawn and formidable, declared a two-day holiday and played host to Pele & Co. at a victory lunch in his modern Palace of the Dawn. During the jubilation over the win at Mexico City, Medici himself strode out of his palace in shirtsleeves to join a crowd of young Brazilians who were celebrating the national triumph in the streets.

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