Heineken is pretty sure there are no female soccer fans (in Brazil)

Adfreak's Tim Nudd writes:

Evidently not worried about cries of sexism, Heineken has organized a giant shoe sale in Brazil this Saturday—so that women will flock to it and leave their boyfriends and husbands in peace to watch the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid.

Really? Really:



I guess Heineken and and their friends at Wieden+Kennedy São Paulo forgot that not only do women in Brazil like sports, but also that these types of campaigns tend to get international brands in trouble.

"Don't worry your pretty little head about this man stuff on the field.
Just grab me a Heinie and go shoe shopping."
(Photo via Mirror UK)

This bullshit is even sadder when you realize that women in Brazil were not allowed to play soccer, professionally, until 1979.

Aline Pellegrino was the captain of the Brazilian women's national team from 2005-2013, has been on three Olympic teams and played in the Women's World Cup twice. She told PRI, "All the girls of my generation played with young boys. I didn't see women playing on TV. There was nobody to look up to or be inspired by."

Ms. Pellegrino co-founded Guerreiras Project to "use futebol as a tool to promote gender justice and create possibilities for more equitable and sustainable ways of being."

That's right, Heineken. Soccer is actually a major feminist issue in Brazil. For years, women have been fighting to be taken seriously as athletes there. They are referred, jeeringly, to as "zapatón" [actually, "sapatão" - see comments] or big shoes. It's a homophobic slur against lesbians.

And Heineken just told them to go buy some shoes and leave soccer to the menfolk.