Brazilians might feel that their team 's lack of leadership on the pitch reflects something much bigger --namely,lacklustre political leadership at the national level. Their disappointment is likely to be visible quite soon in President Dilma Rousseff's popularity ratings. With campaigning for the presidential elections set to start shortly, Brazil's football disaster could well play a role in frustrating Ms Rousseff's re-election bid. How financial markets will respond remains an open question. It's far from certain that they will sink into a football-induced slump. Indeed, the opposite could happen: The defeat could lead to a market rally as investors become more optimistic about the possibility of economic reforms under a new government after the elections