Brazilian soccer fans jeered US goalie Hope Solo today with chants of, “Zika!” every time she kicked the ball.
The crowd heckled Solo because she wrote about her fears of attending the games in Brazil on social media.
Los brasileños le gritan "Zika" a Hope Solo, polémica tuitera y portera de la selección de #Futbol de USA pic.twitter.com/0o9TgWgWTn
— Benja (@BenjaRMoreno) August 6, 2016
Hope Solo overcame more merciless taunts from Brazilian soccer fans on Saturday, helping the USA to its second consecutive win at these Olympics despite being consistently jeered with cries of “Zika.”
Solo, 35, in her 200th career appearance for the USA, was targeted every time she touched the ball during a 1-0 victory against France at the Estadio Mineirao in Belo Horizonte, in what was expected to be the team’s toughest test in Group G of the 12-team’s tournament.
The crowd’s ire emanated from Solo’s public comments and social media messages regarding first her reluctance to travel to Brazil and then her decision to pack huge amounts of mosquito repellent due to the Zika virus.
Health officials have claimed that Zika causes microcephaly in newborn babies, and Solo has admitted she wishes to have children with husband Jerramy Stevens, a former NFL player.
The chants began midway through the USA’s 2-0 victory vs. New Zealand in its opening game on Wednesday. However, the Americans comfortably controlled possession on that night, meaning Solo was rarely called into action.
