Crowd boos Hope Solo during USA's Olympic opener
Hope Solo is not very popular in Brazil. That much was clear during the U.S. women’s national team’s 2-0 win over New Zealand in their Olympic opener in Belo Horizonte on Wednesday.
Every time Solo touched the ball, the crowd at Mineirao Stadium booed and whistled loudly, even shouting “Zika!” at one point in unison.
Ouch.
The soccer player has been extremely vocal about the Zika virus and even criticized the IOC for not moving the games from Manaus, a city struggling with mosquito control.
And apparently, the Brazilians didn’t forget her comments directed at their country.
[Related: Brazil gets much-needed moment to smile with women’s soccer win]
Reluctant to even participate in the Games, Solo told CNBC in a statement in May that she’s “not sure she’ll even leave the hotel room” and has posted several social media posts of the insect repellent and other measures she will take in order to protect herself.
If anyone in the village forgets to pack repellent, come and see me…#DeptOfDefense #zikaproof
A photo posted by Hope Solo (@hopesolo) on Jul 21, 2016 at 7:42pm PDT
Not sharing this!!! Get your own! #zikaproof #RoadToRio
A photo posted by Hope Solo (@hopesolo) on Jul 21, 2016 at 7:57pm PDT
Solo, after realizing her posts were receiving backlash, apologized in a recent statement saying, “I never would want to offend the host country.”
Well, perhaps this is Brazil’s way of forgiveness?
See more photos from the game below.