October 6, 2014
Romario easily wins senate seat in Brazil
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) — Former star striker Romario has been elected a senator in Brazil, continuing his endeavour into politics.
Romario received more than 4.5 million votes in Rio de Janeiro, the most ever in the state. He had 63 per cent of the total, ahead of former Rio mayor Cesar Maia, his closest contender with 20 per cent.
Romario was an active congressman the past four years, a fierce critic of the money spent on the World Cup. He has a daughter with a disability, and one of his main causes was to improve conditions for the disabled.
The 48-year-old World Cup winner said he was proud to have “dribbled past poverty” to make history as a former slum resident who made it to the senate.