Sao Paulo.- The Brazilian police recommended on Wednesday to inculp the Paraguayan footballer Damián Bobadilla, of Sao Paulo, for a xenophobic insult against the Venezuelan Miguel Navarro, of the Argentine workshops of Córdoba, in a match of the Copa Libertadores, a police statement reported.
The meeting in Sao Paulo on May 27 was interrupted for several minutes when Navarro broke into a crying for an offensive Bobadilla comment that alluded to his nationality.
“The suspect declared Wednesday and it was recommended that it be charged with the crime of racial insult,” according to a Paulist police statement sent to the AFP. “The investigations continue to clarify the facts,” the text added.
According to Brazilian law, racial injury is an offense to the dignity of a person for their race, ethnicity, color or national origin.
Bobadilla, 23, could be sanctioned in this process with fines and up to five years in prison, Rodrigo Correa Baptista, delegate of the Crimes of Crimes of Sports Intolerance of the São Paulista, told AFP.
“Since it is his first time, he has a good history and apologized to the victim, the judge could take into account all this when setting a penalty,” Correa explained in a telephone conversation.
A day after the game, Bobadilla apologized.
“In the fever (anger) I reacted badly and apologize publicly,” said the player in a video released by Sao Paulo, who won 2-1 that game.
Bobadilla then said that he was “offended first” and that he never intended to “discriminate.”
Navarro warned that he would go “until the last consequences.”
Brazil clubs have insistently denounced racist acts against their players in matches as a visitor in continental tournaments.
They impute Flamengo player
The Brazilian player Bruno Henrique, star of Flamengo, was charged on Wednesday by Estelionato and sports fraud to benefit his relatives in online bets, a source of his defense to the AFP reported.
It is suspected that the striker forced a yellow card during a match of the local championship in 2023, a previously coordinated action with traigators of his family environment.
“He was denounced today by the Public Ministry” of Brasilia, confirmed his defense, and said the striker “has no impediment” to play the Club World Cup despite the imputation.
