A Copa do Mundo de 1978: o uso do torneio como ferramenta de propaganda pela Ditadura Militar Argentina (1976-1983) e sua cobertura no Correio Braziliense e no Jornal do Brasil

Abstract

This paper investigates the use of the 1978 World Cup as a propaganda tool by the Argentine Military Dictatorship (1976–1983). It seeks to understand how the military government appropriated the football tournament—a media event capable of mobilizing feelings such as passion and nationalism—to construct an image of stability and legitimacy, both within and outside the country. The main objective was to analyze the relationship between sport, politics, and propaganda based on this event. The research adopts a predominantly qualitative methodology, although it occasionally uses quantitative data to reinforce the presented perceptions. The privileged sources will be Brazilian newspapers of the time, which presented different approaches to the events of the 1978 World Cup, in dialogue with the bibliography on the subject. The results indicate that the military government intensely mobilized the 1978 World Cup as an international showcase, articulating nationalist narratives and propaganda means of its achievements, which sought to conceal the serious human rights violations committed by the state. This movement highlights the political appropriation of sport in authoritarian contexts.