Tag Ronaldinho

Prison
Asuncion, March 9, 2020 (Reuters/NAN) Former Brazil and ex-FC Barcelona player Ronaldinho Gaucho is adapting quickly to life in a Paraguayan jail, the head of the facility told Reuters on Monday.

The former Paris St-Germain (PSG) forward’s lawyers are however hopeful he may soon be released into house arrest while the investigation continues.

“In broad terms he is doing very well,” prison warden Blas Vera told Reuters in a telephone interview. “I see he is in good spirits, just like you see him on television, always smiling.”

Vera said Ronaldinho and his brother Roberto Assis, who were arrested on Friday for using a false Paraguayan passport, would present their case to a judge on Tuesday.

Their lawyer Sergio Queiroz told Reuters they had asked a court to release them into house arrest and offered guarantees they were not a flight risk.

Vera said the 39-year old former AC Milan player and his brother had beds, a television and a fan in their cell at the prison on the outskirts of the capital Asuncion.

The brothers use a communal bathroom and have the right to use the outdoor patio on a regular basis.

The pair’s lawyers have provided them with meals and they have not eaten the food offered by the jail.

The maximum security facility has around 195 detainees, including politicians and police officers accused of corruption as well as major drug traffickers.

The more dangerous prisoners are housed in a different wing to Ronaldinho, Vera said, adding that he was working to ensure the pair’s stay is “as comfortable as possible”.

Carlos Gamarra, the former captain of Paraguay’s national team who also played for several Brazilian clubs, visited Ronaldinho with a group of ex-players in jail on Sunday.

Vera said others who were at the regular Sunday visiting time befriended the Brazilian.

“There was also a group of boys and girls and he welcomed them, gave them hugs and chatted with them,” he said.

Ronaldinho, who was last year named a tourist ambassador by Brazil’s far-right government, arrived in Paraguay on Wednesday, invited to the landlocked South American nation by a local casino owner.

Although he last played professionally in 2015, Ronaldinho, who also represented Brazilian clubs Atletico Mineiro, Flamengo and Fluminense, is still hugely popular with global football fans and advertisers.

He won the World Cup with Brazil in 2002 and the UEFA Champions League with FC Barcelona in 2006.

Ronaldinho was also named FIFA World Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005.(Reuters/NAN)
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(Edited by Olawale Alabi)

Ruling
Asuncion, March 8, 2020 (Reuters/NAN) Former Brazilian international Ronaldinho Gaucho was ordered to remain in jail in Paraguay on Saturday after a judge ruled him a flight risk.

The ex-FC Barcelona forward was arrested on Friday for attempting to enter Paraguay with a false passport two days earlier.

He spent Friday night in a police cell along with his brother and business manager Roberto Assis.

The pair asked to be released into house arrest but that was rejected by the judge, who also dismissed Assis’s claims to have a heart problem because he showed no proof.

Judge Clara Ruiz Diaz said their alleged offence was a “serious one against the interests of the Paraguayan state”.

“Because the pair posed a flight risk they must remain in custody,’’ she added.

Under Paraguayan law, officials now have six months to complete their investigation.

But Ronaldinho’s lawyers, who called the decision “incredible,” are expected to present an appeal in the coming days.

“He (Ronaldinho) doesn’t understand what’s going on,” Tarek Tuma told reporters.

Saturday’s courtroom drama came after an astonishing four days that began on Wednesday when the duo attempted to enter Paraguay with doctored passports.

They were detained but a prosecutor who believed they were tricked into taking the fake documents recommended they be released after receiving an alternative punishment such as paying a fine to charity.

A judge, though, rejected that idea late on Friday and shortly afterwards the pair were arrested.

A police official told local media the pair had been placed in a cell with one other inmate.

They were given soap, cushions and repellent to protect against mosquitoes.

Although workers at the facility took selfies with the famous detainee, officials said the Brazilians did not receive any preferential treatment.

Paraguayan television showed the two men arriving in court in handcuffs at around noon local time on Saturday.

The brothers were invited to Paraguay by a local casino owner and had arrived on Wednesday to take part in a football clinic for children and a book launch.

Although he last played professionally in 2015, Ronaldinho, who also represented Brazilian clubs Atletico Mineiro, Flamengo and Fluminense, is still hugely popular with global football fans for his skills and showmanship.

The 39-year-old was named FIFA world player of the year in 2004 and 2005.

He won the World Cup with Brazil in 2002 and the Champions League with FC Barcelona in 2006.(Reuters/NAN)
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(Edited by Joseph Edeh and Olawale Alabi)