In a hilarious farce that played out last month on March 6, Brazilian soccer superstar Ronaldinho (Junior) was arrested by police at the Paraguayan border for possessing a false passport. His brother, who was traveling with him, was also detained for having a false passport.
The beginning of this absurd drama is full of comedy, Xiao Luo's fake passport, in addition to the nationality column forged into Paraguay, the rest of the name, birthday and other information are all correct. It turns out, Xiao Luo last year in Brazil to build a marina fishing platform, suspected of violating the environmental permit illegal construction, was fined 1.3 million U.S. dollars and confiscation of passports, 57 properties were temporarily sealed. Now, in the state of grounding Luo, but with a fake passport from Brazil out of the country, to Paraguay to participate in charity activities.
The irony is that Ronaldinho, who is known all over the world, is a god in South America, so how could customs not know his Brazilian identity? He is a god in South America, so how could customs not know about his Brazilian identity? It is reported that the customs found the problem at the very beginning, but in view of his special status, they could only let him enter the country first, and then asked the police to go to the hotel to take him away. The police were probably called by Paraguayan customs (it's also rather bizarre that he was able to exit from Brazil).
At first, it was just an anecdote, but as the investigation progressed, the incident became progressively more complicated. The charity event that Junior participated in was organized by a wealthy businesswoman, Roberts, but the Paraguayan police suspected that Roberts had problems. It is reported that Roberts may be involved in a $400 million money laundering case and a drug case, and Xiao Luo's fake passport was also arranged by her. As such, the charity event that Junior participated in is also subject to investigation.
Although Junior has repeatedly emphasized his lack of knowledge, the Paraguayan police still consider him a suspect and are investigating. Initially, if Junior was involved in Ropez's money laundering, he could be sentenced to six months in prison.
In the end, Junior had to go to jail for possessing a false passport. This is how the legendary Brazilian footballer's prison career began.
The Paraguayan government didn't dare neglect Junior, and he was placed in the Agrupacion Especializada, a prison that manages security, where he enjoys a separate cell and has three meals a day delivered by a lawyer. Basically, he only had to spend 32 days in prison.
From the time of his arrest to his incarceration, Junior stayed upbeat. He took pictures, signed autographs, and even played a soccer game with his cellmates. Because the prison organizes a five-a-side soccer tournament every six months, Xiao Luo happened to coincide with this time. The prison authorities said that due to the huge strength gap, Xiao Luo could only pass and carry the ball, and could not shoot at goal. But Luo didn't care about that. In the end, he scored five goals and had six assists, and his team won the prison soccer tournament 11-2, with a 16-kilogram pig as the prize. I'm afraid this is unmatched in prison.
It may have been the most enjoyable time in jail ever, where Junior spent his 40th birthday.
The Government of Paraguay is also aware that the crux of the matter lies with Ropez. Ropez never appeared before the court and was represented only by his lawyer. The lawyer presented a medical certificate stating that Ropez suffers from a number of chronic illnesses and that there is a very high risk of contracting C.N.C.P. if he appears in public, and that therefore Ropez will not appear before the end of the epidemic. Currently, Interpol has intervened to investigate the case.
Yesterday, after 32 days in jail, Junior was finally released on a $1.6 million bail along with his brother. But the matter is not over, and now Junior and his brother are staying in a hotel in Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay, and continue to cooperate with the police in their investigation.
Prior to his release, his fellow inmates threw a barbecue party for Junior to give him a reluctant send-off.
While the incident was hilarious, it actually caused major damage to Junior's image. The video game company is reportedly considering whether to remove Junior from FIFA 2020. Van Basten was removed last year, and it's possible that Junior could be blacklisted in FIFA after going through this incident. After all, he really does have a jail record, and forging a passport is an even more serious integrity issue. We may not be able to see Junior at world soccer events for some time to come.
Let's hope Junior doesn't make this kind of news again.
