March 28, 2024, 03:07:42 PM

Poll

Has Ronaldinho joined Pele and Maradona as the best player in his era?

Yes
25 (47.2%)
No
28 (52.8%)

Total Members Voted: 52

Author Topic: Ronaldinho Thread  (Read 200571 times)

0 Members and 3 Guests are viewing this topic.

Offline Flex

  • Administrator
  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 18062
  • A Trini 4 Real.
    • View Profile
    • Soca Warriors Online
Re: Re: Rivaldo vs Ronaldinho
« Reply #1230 on: March 09, 2020, 02:07:26 PM »
Soccer: Ronaldinho under investigation for more crimes - prosecutor
Reuters


Ronaldinho Gaucho, the former Brazil and Barcelona soccer star being held in a Paraguayan jail for using a falsified passport, is being investigated for additional crimes, the prosecutor leading the case said on Sunday.

Osmar Legal did not clarify what the crimes were but told the Brazilian news site Globoesporte that "there are indications that other crimes were committed" by Ronaldinho and his brother and business manager, Roberto Assis.

Sergio Queiroz, the lawyer representing both Ronaldinho and Assis, did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

However, Queiroz told reporters earlier in the day that the case presented so far was only about the adulterated passports, and he refused to talk about "suppositions" made in the press.

"The case as it was presented is clear," Queiroz said. "There is no other point being investigated, you can see that there in the documents."

He called the brothers' detention "arbitrary, abusive and illegal".

"They confessed that they used these false passports," Queiroz told reporters. "But there was no harm done to the Paraguayan state.

"Roberto and Ronaldinho did not know that the passports were irregular. And they cooperated fully with authorities."

The brothers were remanded in custody on Saturday after being caught trying to enter Paraguay using the doctored travel documents.

A judge ruled them a flight risk and said they must remain in jail while the investigation takes place. Under Paraguayan law, officials have six months to complete their enquiry.

The pair spent Friday and Saturday night in a jail cell in a maximum security facility. They were given soap, pillows and mosquito repellent and were led into court on Saturday in handcuffs.

Sunday was visiting day at the prison and Globoesporte said the ex-Barcelona, Paris St Germain, AC Milan and Gremio forward had remained inside his cell to avoid the attention of families and children visiting the other inmates.

Ronaldinho, who was last year named a tourist ambassador by Brazil's far-right government, was invited to Paraguay by a local casino owner and arrived on Wednesday to take part in a soccer clinic for children and a book launch.

He was greeted at the airport in Asuncion by throngs of fans.

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

The 39-year-old was named FIFA world player of the year in 2004 and 2005 and won the World Cup with Brazil in 2002 and the Champions League with Barcelona in 2006.

(Reporting by Andrew Downie; Editing by Ian Chadband)


Judge rules Ronaldinho must remain in Paraguayan jail

The real measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

Offline Flex

  • Administrator
  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 18062
  • A Trini 4 Real.
    • View Profile
    • Soca Warriors Online
Re: Ronaldinho Thread
« Reply #1231 on: April 28, 2020, 04:51:52 PM »
'I never imagined I would go through such a situation' - Ronaldinho gives first interview since being arrested in Paraguay
Goal.com


Ronaldinho says he was “totally surprised” to have been arrested and charged with using a fake passport in his first interview after being released from prison.

The former Barcelona footballer and his brother Roberto Assis were arrested in Paraguay in early March for allegedly using fake documents to enter the country.

After spending 32 days in prison, judge Gustavo Amarilla decided that the duo can live in a hotel in Asuncion while they await trial on their charges.

Speaking to Paraguayan television network ABC Color from the Palmaroga hotel in the Paraguayan capital, the 40-year-old former Brazil international said they came to the country to be at the launch of an online casino.

Former Ballon D’Or winner Ronaldinho, part of Brazil’s 2002 World Cup-winning squad, said the entire situation had been very hard and he was working with the police to try and resolve matters.

He said: “We were totally surprised to learn that the documents were not legal. Since then our intention has been to collaborate with the justice system to clarify the facts.

“From that moment until today, we have explained everything and facilitated everything that has been requested of us.”

Speaking of the moment he was told he was going to jail, Ronaldinho said: “It was a hard blow, I never imagined that I would go through such a situation. All my life I have sought to reach the highest professional level and bring joy to people with my football.”

The former Barca star said he’d had plenty of opportunities to play football in prison and was constantly stopped for autographs and photos even when inside the maximum security Agrupacion Especializada prison after being arrested at the Resort Yacht and Golf Club Paraguay.

Ronaldinho said that despite being arrested and charged he felt no ill-will towards the people of Paraguay, and that his religion had helped him through the situation.

He said: “The warmth, affection and respect of all Paraguayans has been felt from the first day I arrived in the country until today, and I am very grateful.

“I have my faith. I always pray for things to go well and hopefully this will be over soon.”

According to ABC Color, the interview was held face to face in the hotel despite the coronavirus lockdown, with stringent hygiene measures in place.

Social distancing was practiced, protective covers were placed on microphones and Ronaldinho wore a face-mask at all times except when answering questions.

Ronaldinho said that the first thing he would do once the situation is resolved is go to see his mum.

He said: “The first thing will be to give a big kiss to my mother who has lived through these difficult days since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in her home, then it will be to absorb the impact that this situation has generated and move forward with faith and strength.”

Ronaldinho's lawyers have previously argued that their client had been given the Paraguayan passport as a gift from a local sponsor, and was unaware he was doing anything wrong by using it.

The 2005 Ballon d'Or winner had already seen his Brazilian and Spanish passports seized by Brazil's authorities in 2019 because of separate legal issues.

The real measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

Offline Flex

  • Administrator
  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 18062
  • A Trini 4 Real.
    • View Profile
    • Soca Warriors Online
Re: Ronaldinho Thread
« Reply #1232 on: July 31, 2020, 02:02:15 PM »
Paraguay prosecutors willing to discuss plea bargain in Ronaldinho case - sources
By Antonio Strini and Moises Llorens
ESPN


Ronaldinho Gaucho's lawyers are evaluating options for the former Barcelona star to be released from jail as early as August after a source close to the prosecution told ESPN that they are willing to discuss a plea bargain in his criminal case, which began more than four months ago after he was arrested for attempting to enter Paraguay with a false passport.

The former Ballon d'Or winner and his brother Roberto Assis were released from a high-security jail in Paraguay in April after paying bail of $800,000 each and placed under house arrest in a luxury hotel in the Paraguayan capital of Asuncion, where they remain.

Ronaldinho told local authorities in a hearing that the passports were a gift from a Brazilian businessman, Wilmondes Sousa Liria, who was also jailed.

Ronaldinho and his brother face up to five years in jail if convicted.

The public prosecutor has six months to investigate the case, and has ordered the arrest of 18 others in connection with it.

Sources have told ESPN in Brazil that 90% of the case with respect to Ronaldinho and his brother is closed amid the failure on the part of the public prosecutor's office to advance any connection to money laundering or organised crime or make any case beyond Ronaldinho entering the country with fake documents.

Sources told ESPN that Ronaldinho could be offered a plea bargain while the case continues to be delayed due to coronavirus restrictions.

Sources say the plea bargain could include entering a guilty plea for the falsified passports, paying another fine or reporting monthly to the judge in the case.

Dalia Lopez, a businesswoman prosecutors say is connected to the case and who remains at large since the outbreak of the scandal, is a key element to resolve the case which even affected the state departments as she was the person who invited Ronaldinho to participate in events in Paraguay.

Ronaldinho had his Brazilian passport seized at home due to an investigation into alleged environmental crimes, but the document was returned to him in September of 2019 and it is still not known why he did not enter the country with his own passport.

Meanwhile, sources say Ronaldinho has been patient as his lawyers work on a strategy they believe could have him released as early as this month.

The 2002 World Cup winner has told sources that if he regains his freedom, he and his brother would travel to Porto Alegre to visit their mother and sister, greet the rest of the family before flying to Spain to settle almost permanently.

The source said that Ronaldinho has had almost daily telephone contact with people of his closest trust, both in Brazil and in Spain.

Castelldefels, a town about 20 kilometres from Barcelona where Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and other Barcelona footballers live, would be the chosen place by Ronaldinho to establish his new residence.


Ronaldinho was arrested in Paraguay in March. Photo by NORBERTO DUARTE/AFP via Getty Images

The real measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

Offline maxg

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 6467
    • View Profile
Re: Ronaldinho Thread
« Reply #1233 on: August 01, 2020, 12:34:46 AM »
that is corruptive TaTa..A country in South America, or anywhere in the world for that matter need identification for Ronaldinho...now if they say well " He bust we ass in a Football game an we doh like dat"..Dahiz a different story...Like he had nowhere else in the world to go, except to sneek into Paraguay..Please !   ;D

Offline Flex

  • Administrator
  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 18062
  • A Trini 4 Real.
    • View Profile
    • Soca Warriors Online
Re: Ronaldinho Thread
« Reply #1234 on: August 24, 2020, 01:00:39 AM »
After a fake passports scandal and a spell in jail, could Ronaldinho's legal nightmare soon be over?
By Will Costa
The Telegraph.


In any story about Ronaldinho, one of the most famous ex-sportsmen on the planet, women are never far away. His unorthodox love-life and his notorious partying are all welcome fodder for the headline writers, and fine distractions for gossip-hungry newspaper readers.

But Dalia Lopez, a glamorous charity boss, and one of Paraguay’s most successful business women, is different. Lopez, 48, holds the key to an astonishing tale of intrigue which has ensnared Brazil’s favourite footballing son, and sees him held under house arrest in a four-star Asuncion hotel five months after the story broke. Trouble is, she’s on the run.

Arrest warrants have been issued for Lopez, now said to be the most hated woman on social media in the south American country, but she refuses to turn herself in because, her lawyer says, she fears for her life. Marcos Estigarribia, who represents Ms López, says darkly that there is "a price on her head".

The affair begins way back in the pre-coronavirus lockdown era in early March, when Ronaldinho touched down at Silvio Pettirossi international airport in Asuncion. He arrived to a hero’s welcome, and was whisked to a VIP room, where he was met by, amongst others, Ms Lopez.

The Ballon d’Or winner had come with his brother and agent, Assis, 49, to promote his autobiography ‘Genius in Life’ and to aid Ms Lopez’s charity, the Angelic Fraternity Foundation. He was to be the star attraction in her touring clinic, the avowed aim being to improve children’s health with medical and dental sessions, and classes in nutrition.

Ms Lopez gushed to the Paraguayan press: “As a mother, woman and business person, the health of children most in need is an issue that worries me constantly. That’s why I want to create a project to benefit them.

“Doing my bit for this cause gives me great satisfaction, and how better than to do it with Ronaldinho as an ally, a football star who knows first-hand the suffering of the most vulnerable communities. Today, Ronaldinho crosses the border of his country to bring a bit of relief to Paraguayan children.”

Ronaldinho, who won the World Cup in 2002, enjoyed a police escort as they left. Officers posed for selfies with him.

But as the brothers dined that evening at the sumptuous Yacht y Golf Club Paraguayo on the capital’s outskirts, they were arrested. Police had been tipped off that they had entered the country with fake passports, and, sure enough, on searching their room, they found the incriminating counterfeits.

The passports were amateurish. The grinning image on Ronaldinho’s counterfeit matched that which was found later on 4,000 footballs discovered at Lopez’s residence to be used as part of the travelling clinic. Two women - the original owners of the doctored documents, who had never reported them missing - have been arrested.

The brothers’ defence is they were handed the passports in a VIP room on arrival before passing through checks. They presumed they were being given honorary citizenship in recognition of their charity work. As lawyer Adolfo Marin said of his famous client: "He's thick. He didn't realise he was receiving fake documents".

Caught up in a wider web of intrigue, the brothers were held at Agrupacion Especializada prison for 32 days, where Ronaldinho was persuaded to play in a futsal six-a-side match, scoring five and laying on six in an 11-2 victory. He won his team-mates a 16kg pig.

They were eventually allowed bail after $1.6m was found from one of his accounts and they have been in the Palmaroga Hotel since. It’s pleasant enough, but the area is down at heel, and the even presidential suite is a reasonable £280 a night.

But the central mystery - at least as far as Ronaldinho and his brother are concerned - has never been answered: what was the purpose of the passports?

Perhaps, say legal experts, the explanation is that Panamanian passport holders are eligible for an E-2 investor visa, allowing them residency in the US. Brazilians cannot get it, so one theory mooted is it provided the brothers the prospect of living in America.

Five months on, this aspect of the story may be about to reach a denouement. A judge will decide on Monday whether to allow the former Barcelona player and his brother to return home after they agreed to pay a $200,000 (£152,000) fine for using the aforementioned faked travel documents.

Both Ronaldinho and his brother requested permission through lawyers to be present in person at Monday's hearing.

For Ms Lopez, the key figure in a tortuous tale which has seen 16 people arrested, there is no apparent end in sight. Prosecutors have revealed she is under investigation for suspected tax evasion and money-laundering, with a figure of $10m cited.

Ms Lopez, who boasts leading politicians among her friends, has apparently given handsomely to charity. Only this year, she gave a car to the winner of the Miss Paraguay beauty pageant attended by the nation’s president, Mario Abdo Benitez. Lopez stole the show, arriving in a helicopter.

Her foundation, though, has no presence online or on social media. And it is suspected of failing to comply with registration processes designed to prevent money laundering.

Brazil's former international Ronaldinho Gaucho and his brother Roberto appeared on 06 March before the judge that will decide if they benefit from a procedural exit that separates them from the open cause after entering Paraguay with false passports - 227112594

The brothers’ story has changed over time on why they came to Paraguay. Now they say that they were to launch an online casino, and Lopez’s mobile clinic was only an add-on. Ronaldinho was clearly to be paid.

He said in April: "I never imagined that something like this could happen to me. It was a big blow. Everything we do is under the contracts that are managed by my brother.

"We were absolutely surprised to learn that the documents we had were not legal. Our intention was always to collaborate with the courts to clarify the facts.

“I always have my faith. I always pray for things to go well and hopefully soon all this will come to an end.”

The Champions League winner says the first thing he wants to do when he gets back to Brazil is give his mother a big kiss. Soon after that, though, another legal battle lies in store.

For the ex-player, along with other partners of the company 18kRonaldinho, are being sued for 300 million Brazilian Real (£43 million) in damages for alleged pyramid selling. He denies any wrong-doing, but looks destined to be back in the headlines all over again.

The real measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

 

1]; } ?>