Corinthians hail award for anti-racism campaign led by Hugo Souza | OneFootball

Corinthians highlighted, through an official statement on Thursday afternoon (25), the awarding of two Lions at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for the “Racism Cannot Be Covered Up” campaign, created in late February 2026 in partnership with AlmapBBDO. Its main figure was goalkeeper Hugo Souza, who was targeted by racist insults from Portuguesa fans after the final whistle of the Campeonato Paulista quarterfinals at Canindé.

The first award was a Silver Lion in the Print C Publishing – Corporate Purpose C Social Responsibility category, recognizing work that, through communication, creates social impact to advance causes relevant to society. The second was a Bronze Lion in the PR – Real Time Response category, which honors public relations actions carried out as a creative and strategic response to an event or context of public interest as it happens.

Photo: Disclosure/Corinthians

In this second category, Corinthians was in fact the only Brazilian representative to receive an award. The campaign was also included on the shortlist. The “Racism Cannot Be Covered Up” action/campaign took place on February 25, in the 1-1 draw with Cruzeiro at Mineirão, in the fourth round of the Brazilian Championship, when the players entered the field with the phrase “Racism Is a Crime” printed on the upper part of the jersey collar, pulling the shirt up to cover the upper part of their mouths to convey the message being sent.

That day, Corinthians’ kit also featured a QR CODE that, when scanned, directed people to a website with guidance on what steps to take if they witnessed or suffered any kind of racial discrimination. As a way of raising awareness, an anti-racism protocol began to be implemented at matches at Neo Química Arena.

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity takes place in the city of Cannes, France, and usually brings together around 12,000 people from more than 100 countries. It is considered the largest and most prestigious award event in the advertising, marketing, and communications industry worldwide.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.