FILES) In this file photo taken on August 25, 2020 Former football star Ronaldinho (C) is pictured upon arriving on a private jet at El Galeao airport in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, following more than five months in detention in Paraguay over a fake passport scandal. /AFP FILE PHOTO
Former Brazil playmaker Ronaldinho said on Sunday he had contracted coronavirus but had no symptoms.
The 40-year-old ex-Barcelona and AC Milan midfielder, who won the Champions League and World Cup in an illustrious career, will remain in isolation in a Belo Horizonte hotel.
“Hi friends, family, fans, I took a Covid-19 test and the result was positive, I’m doing well, I’m asymptomatic for now,” he said in a video posted on Instagram.
In August, Ronaldinho returned to Brazil following more than five months in detention in Paraguay over a fake passport scandal.
The former Ballon d’Or winner and his brother had both been held for a month in jail and another four months under house arrest in a hotel in Asuncion.
Brazil has registered more than 156,000 deaths from coronavirus, behind only the US in terms of fatalities.
In this file photo taken on March 07, 2020 Brazilian retired football player Ronaldinho (C) and his brother Roberto Assis (R) arrive at Asuncion’s Justice Palace to appear before a public prosecutor who will decide whether to grant them bail or not following their irregular entry to the country, in Asuncion. – (Photo by Norberto DUARTE / AFP)
Former Brazil star Ronaldinho was released Monday by a Paraguayan judge after five months in detention over a forged passport.
Judge Gustavo Amarilla also released Ronaldinho’s brother Roberto de Assis Moreira, who also had been held for a month in jail and another four months under house arrest in a hotel in Paraguay’s capital, Asuncion, for the same charge.
The 40-year-old former World Cup winner “is free to travel to whatever country in the world he wants but he must inform us if he changes his permanent residence” for a period of one year, the judge said.
“He has no restrictions except for the fulfilment of reparations for damage to society.”
Dressed in jeans, a black beret and black shirt, Ronaldinho accepted the terms of his release, which include payment of $90,000 damages. His brother, who is also Ronaldinho’s business manager, must pay $110,000.
The pair are also expected to appear before a judge in Brazil every three months — Ronaldinho for a year and his brother for two.
Amarilla accepted a recommendation by four prosecutors to avoid the need for an oral trial.
“There is no indication that he has any personal characteristics or criminal behaviour that … would put society at risk,” the prosecutor said prior to Monday’s trial.
Prosecutors did not believe Ronaldinho took part in the plan to manufacture the fake Paraguayan passports but believed de Assis Moreira was aware that the passports were false.
The brothers arrived in Paraguay on March 4 without any issues, with Ronaldinho, the 2005 Ballon d’Or winner, due to take part in an event in support of disadvantaged children.
However, two days later, the pair were taken into police custody when investigators raided their hotel following the discovery they had fake documents.
After being held in a police station in Asuncion, where Ronaldinho celebrated his 40th birthday on March 21, the two men had been under house arrest for more than four months in a luxury hotel in the capital, on bail of $1.6 million.
The investigation has since expanded into a case of possible money laundering.
Some 18 people have already been arrested in connection with the case, most of them immigration officials or police officers.
Ronaldinho, considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, was crucial in Brazil’s 2002 World Cup win.
He played for European giants such as Barcelona, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain during a hugely successful 10-year stint in Europe.
He won the Champions League and two La Liga titles with Braca and Serie A with Milan.
After returning home to Brazil he won the Copa Libertadores — South America’s equivalent of the Champions League — with Atletico Mineiro.
In this file photo taken on March 07, 2020 Brazilian retired football player Ronaldinho (C) and his brother Roberto Assis (R) arrive at Asuncion’s Justice Palace to appear before a public prosecutor who will decide whether to grant them bail or not following their irregular entry to the country, in Asuncion. (Photo by Norberto DUARTE / AFP)
After six months under arrest in Paraguay, former Brazil football star Ronaldinho was set for a hearing on Monday on charges of travelling with false documents, according to judicial sources.
Judge Gustavo Amarilla is due to start the hearing in Asuncion at 14:00 local time (1800 GMT). Ronaldinho’s brother Roberto has also been charged.
The public prosecutor’s office has recommended Ronaldinho pay a $90,000 fine for “damage to society” and is freed to return to Brazil where the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain player would also be expected to appear before a judge every three months for a year.
“There is no indication that he has any personal characteristics or criminal behaviour that…would put society at risk,” the prosecutor said.
File photo: Brazilian retired football player Ronaldinho arrives in Asuncion’s Prosecution to declare after his irregular entry to the country, in Asuncion, Paraguay, on March 5, 2020./ AFP
Prosecutors have recommended that Roberto pay a $110,000 fine and appear before a judge every three months for two years.
Prosecutors do not believe Ronaldinho took part in the plan to manufacture the fake Paraguayan passports. They do think Roberto was aware that the passports were false.
Ronaldinho and Roberto, in Paraguay to promote a book, were arrested on March 6.
After being held in a police station in Asuncion, where the 2005 Ballon d’Or celebrated his 40th birthday on March 21, the two men have been under house arrest for almost five months in a luxury hotel in the capital, on bail of $1.6 million.
Some 18 people have already been arrested in connection with the case, most of them immigration officials or police officers.
In this file photo taken on March 07, 2020 Brazilian retired football player Ronaldinho (C) and his brother Roberto Assis (R) arrive at Asuncion’s Justice Palace to appear before a public prosecutor who will decide whether to grant them bail or not following their irregular entry to the country, in Asuncion.(Photo by Norberto DUARTE / AFP)
Brazil great Ronaldinho could be freed on August 24 following five months detention in Paraguay over a forged passport, judicial sources told AFP on Monday.
The former Barcelona, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain star was detained alongside his brother Roberto de Assis Moreira on March 6, accused of entering Paraguay in possession of false passports.
They spent a month behind bars before paying a $1.6 million bail and being released to house arrest at the plush Palmaroga Hotel in the historic centre of the Paraguayan capital Asuncion.
File photo: Brazilian retired football player Ronaldinho arrives to Asuncion’s Prosecution to declare after his irregular entry to the country, in Asuncion, Paraguay, on March 5, 2020./ AFP
Judge Gustavo Amarilla has set a date of August 24 to hear the case against the brothers.
Prosecutors have submitted a proposal to the judge that would see Ronaldinho, 40, pay a $90,000 fine “to repair social damage” but be allowed to return home to Brazil where he would have to appear before a judge every three months for a year.
Ronaldinho denies having any knowledge the passports were fake.
His brother — who allegedly knew about the false passports — would have to pay a $110,000 fine and appear before a judge every three months for two years.
Prosecutors also asked for a two-year suspended prison sentence for Roberto de Assis Moreira, who is also Ronaldinho’s business manager.
The brothers arrived in Paraguay on March 4 without any issues, with Ronaldinho, 2005 Ballon d’Or winner, due to take part in the event in support of disadvantaged children.
However, shortly after their arrival, the pair were taken into police custody when investigators raided their hotel following the discovery they had fake documents.
The investigation has since expanded into a case of possible money laundering.
Ronaldinho, considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, was crucial in Brazil’s 2002 World Cup win.
(FILES) In this file photo taken on March 07, 2020 Brazilian retired football player Ronaldinho (C) and his brother Roberto Assis (R) arrive at Asuncion’s Justice Palace to appear before a public prosecutor who will decide whether to grant them bail or not following their irregular entry to the country, in Asuncion. (Photo by Norberto DUARTE / AFP)
Lawyers of Brazilian great Ronaldinho, are hoping the former world player of the year will be allowed to go home after more than two months of detention in Paraguay over a forged passport.
“We’re hoping to convince the prosecution to allow Ronaldinho and his brother to return to their country. We can do nothing but wait for the investigation to end,” a defense source told AFP.
Former Barcelona, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain star Ronaldinho and his brother, Robert de Assis Moreira, are facing up to five years in jail if convicted.
The brothers spent more than a month behind bars after they were accused of entering Paraguay in possession of false passports.
The 2005 Ballon d’Or winner and his brother posted bail of $1.6 million and have been under house arrest at the plush Palmaroga Hotel in the historic centre of the Paraguayan capital Asuncion since April 7.
The public prosecutor has six months to investigate the case, and has ordered the arrest of 18 in connection with it.
“There is not one single serious proof that incriminates him,” Rogelio Delgado, president of Paraguay’s footballers union told AFP.
“Although he has a luxury prison, it’s very unfair that he’s still being detained,” added Delgado, a former Paraguay international.
The 40-year-old Ronaldinho has been keeping a low profile since being released from behind bars, not least because of coronavirus lockdown measures.
“I was completely caught off guard when I found out that these passports were not valid,” Ronaldinho told Paraguayan newspaper ABC last month in his only public statement since his release.
Ronaldinho, considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, was crucial in Brazil’s 2002 World Cup win.
He and sibling Robert — who is also his business manager — initially encountered no problems after arriving in Asuncion from neighboring Brazil on March 4.
However, shortly after their arrival, the pair were taken into police custody when investigators raided their hotel following discovery that their passports were fake.
Ronaldinho, given a rock star’s welcome to Asuncion by around 2,000 children and teenagers, said the documents had been given to him by sponsors of a charity working with disadvantaged children.
The investigation has since expanded into a case of possible money laundering.
(FILES) In this file photo taken on March 07, 2020 Brazilian retired football player Ronaldinho (C) and his brother Roberto Assis (R) arrive at Asuncion’s Justice Palace to appear before a public prosecutor who will decide whether to grant them bail or not following their irregular entry to the country, in Asuncion. (Photo by Norberto DUARTE / AFP)
A Judge in Paraguay on Tuesday ordered the release of Brazilian football great Ronaldinho and his brother into house arrest at an Asuncion hotel.
Judge Gustavo Amarilla told reporters that he had ordered the “continuation of house arrest in a hotel for Ronaldinho and his brother.”
They were jailed almost exactly a month ago to await trial on charges of using false passports to enter Paraguay. Lawyers for the men posted bail of $1.6 million.
Brazilian retired football player Ronaldinho arrives to Asuncion’s Prosecution to declare after his irregular entry to the country, in Asuncion, Paraguay, on March 5, 2020./ AFP
Brazilian football great Ronaldinho will remain in pre-trial detention in Paraguay after being refused bail or house arrest on accusations of entering the country with a fake passport.
A court rejected a request for conditional release for the 39-year-old World Cup winner and his brother, who were spending a fifth day in a police cell in Asuncion, said prosecutor Osmar Legal.
Judge Gustavo Amarilla cited the seriousness of the case and the discovery of new evidence, as well as the involvement of public officials and entrepreneurs who helped Ronaldinho get into Paraguay.
Amarilla acknowledged the harshness of the measures taken against the brothers but said it was his responsibility to ensure the they did not flee the country.
“There are many procedures that need to be done with the presence of both of them,” the judge said.
Legal said he opposed house arrest because the property offered as a guarantee was only valued at $750,000 to $800,000.
“It’s a tiny amount given the economic solvency of one of the (accused),” he said.
The brothers arrived in Asuncion from Brazil on Wednesday and showed their passports to immigration police, who did not immediately notice any problem.
Hours later, when the passports were determined to be fake, investigators raided the football star’s hotel room and seized the brothers’ identity cards and travel documents.
‘No crime’
Ronaldinho said the passports had been given to him by people who had invited him to attend conferences sponsored by charities working with disadvantaged children.
A Brazilian businessman has also been arrested in connection with the fake travel documents, while two Paraguayan women have been placed under house arrest and the country’s migration director has resigned.
Ronaldinho’s Brazilian lawyer Sergio Queiroz has said the brothers were carrying Brazilian documents and were given the Paraguayan passports “to facilitate the possibility of doing business” in Paraguay.
“Ronaldinho did not commit a crime because he did not know that the passport they gave him was faked,” he said.
However, the body overseeing the creation of companies in Paraguay told AFP there was no regulation preventing Brazilians for applying for a business permit.
The administrator of the charity that invited Ronaldinho, Dalia Lopez, has admitted requesting the passports but said she didn’t know they were forged.
A warrant has been issued for her arrest.
Money laundering
Amarilla said the investigation is looking into possible criminal association and money laundering.
He said the brothers’ phones needed to be examined, in order to “know the true intention for their presence” in Paraguay.
Ronaldinho, considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, was a star of Brazil’s 2002 World Cup win and played for European giants Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan, among others.
There had been rumors he needed to use the Paraguayan document because his real passport had been seized by Brazilian authorities in late 2018 after he failed to pay a $2.5 million fine for building a pier in a protected lake.
But it was returned to him a year later following an agreement with the public prosecutor in Rio Grande do Sul state.
As both countries are part of the MERCOSUR trade bloc, travelers between Brazil and Paraguay need only carry an identity document rather than a passport.
Brazilian retired football player Ronaldinho arrives at Asuncion’s Justice Palace to testify about his irregular entry to the country, in Asuncion, on March 6, 2020. Norberto DUARTE / AFP
Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho did not deliberately use a fake passport and should be released by authorities in Paraguay, his lawyer said.
The two-time world player of the year and his brother Roberto, who was detained with him, spent their third night behind bars in the capital Asuncion on Sunday after using forged travel documents to enter the country.
Their Brazilian lawyer Sergio Queiroz said he would ask for the pair to be released and allowed to return to their home country when they next appear before a judge on Monday.
“Ronaldinho did not commit a crime because he did not know that the passport they gave him was faked,” he said.
Queiroz said that prosecutors had agreed that the footballer had acted in good faith and the decision by a judge to order their detention was unwarranted.
Ronaldinho, considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, was the star of Brazil’s 2002 World Cup win and played for Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Barcelona, among others.
He and his brother arrived in Asuncion from Brazil on Wednesday and showed their passports to immigration police, who did not immediately notice any problem with the documents.
Hours later, when the passports were determined to be fake, investigators raided the room Ronaldinho was staying in and seized the brothers’ identity cards and travel documents.
Ronaldinho said the passports had been given him by people who had invited him to attend conferences sponsored by charities working with disadvantaged children.
Brazilian retired football player Ronaldinho arrives at Asuncion’s Prosecution after his irregular entry to the country, in Asuncion, Paraguay, on March 5, 2020./ AFP
Former Brazilian football star Ronaldinho and his brother have been detained in Paraguay after allegedly using fake passports to enter the South American country, authorities said Wednesday.
“Ronaldinho will be heard at eight in the morning on Thursday at the prosecutor’s office,” Interior Minister Euclides Acevedo told reporters.
Paraguayan police raided the hotel in Asuncion where the 2005 Ballon d’Or winner was staying during a trip promote a book and found the false documents, the minister said.
“We are also investigating the responsibility of the authorities who allowed them to enter the country with falsified documents,” Acevedo said.
Ronaldinho and his brother had their Brazilian passports withdrawn in November 2018 after failing to pay a $2.3 million fine for environmental damage incurred during the building of a property in Rio Grande do Sul, in southern Brazil.
Brazilian World Cup winner Ronaldinho has formally confirmed his retirement from football, more than two years since his last appearance as a professional, reports in Brazil said on Tuesday.
The 37-year-old former Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona star, a key member of the Brazil side which won the World Cup in 2002, last played in 2015 during a brief stint with Fluminense.
However, his brother and agent Roberto Assis said he would not play again and would now concentrate on tribute events.
“He stopped, we’re going to do something really big, nice, after the World Cup in Russia, probably in August, we’ll do several events in Brazil, Europe and Asia, and of course, we’re watching a game with the Brazilian team,” Assis said.
Ronaldinho’s career began with Gremio in Porto Alegre, his hometown, before he emerged as a star with French giants PSG.
He then spent five years with Barcelona between 2003 and 2008, helping the Catalans win the Champions League in 2006, after being awarded the Ballon D’Or in 2005.
He spent three more seasons in Europe with AC Milan between 2008 and 2011 before returning to Brazil, where he played with Flamengo and Atletico Mineiro.
A season in Mexico with Queretaro was followed by his return to Brazil and Fluminense, for whom he played seven times before cutting short his contract.
For Brazil, Ronaldinho made 97 appearances, scoring 33 goals, including two in the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea.
Brazilian World Cup winner Ronaldinho and former Manchester United midfielder Ryan Giggs joined other international soccer players for a news conference ahead of an exhibition match in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on Sunday.
The group, which also included former French players Robert Pires and Nicolas Anelka and former England goalkeeper David James, arrived in Pakistan under tight security on Saturday.
The visitors took part in two seven-a-side exhibition matches, playing in Karachi on Saturday, which Ronaldinho’s team won 2-1, and a second game in Lahore on Sunday.
The teams, led by former Barcelona attacker Ronaldinho and Giggs, consisted of local football talent alongside the former international players.
Giggs told reporters that it was clear young Pakistani fans had a passion for soccer but also said the country needed to grow its footballing infrastructure to improve the quality of the country’s soccer team.
“From the outside, we only knew about Pakistan with cricket but now we know that football is huge here especially with younger generation, and we have seen yesterday while playing the game the desire, the fans, and the young players of Pakistan have to become footballers and the interest in football,” Giggs said.
He added, “”To progress to the next level you need the best coaches in the world to come here and not bring their philosophy but a framework and infrastructure so the Pakistani culture within the people and the football can flourish and become a better association. I think Pakistan is 200th in the world, I heard. So, to bring that down, you need these things.”
On his part, Ronaldhino said, “Firstly, I’d like to thank everyone for the warmth shown to us all. I want to thank you all. We are here to show the future of football here (Pakistan) and that is the objective. We are very happy to be here.”
[highlight]Brazilian football star Neymar was on hand for the launch of his own comic book.[/highlight]
The 68-page comic ‘Neymar Jr.’ is scheduled to be released monthly.
The Santos star joins the ranks of Pelé and Ronaldinho in an elite group of soccer stars to have been drawn by Brazilian cartoonist Mauricio de Sousa.
The strip follows in the tradition of comics such as Roy of the rovers, a British comic about the life of a fictional footballer named Roy Race.
Speculation is rife over whether a heavily-pocketed European club could lure the highest paid Brazilian player away from his native country continue ahead of the 2014 world cup.
