Prison sentence of 17 years for the theft of a Neymar-autographed football.
A Brazilian man named Nelson Ribeiro Fonseca Junior, aged 34, has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for stealing a football signed by Neymar during the January 8, 2023, riots in Brasilia. The ball, which Neymar's boyhood club Santos had gifted to the Chamber of Deputies in 2012, was taken from a display corridor in Congress during the unrest by supporters of ex-president Jair Bolsonaro protesting his election loss to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The ball, described as a "public good belonging to the public heritage" of Brazil, was a symbolic target in the attack on democratic institutions. Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes emphasized that Ribeiro had "actively participated" in the storming and sacking of Congress, the Supreme Court, and the presidential palace during the attempted coup.
In addition to the theft, Ribeiro was convicted for multiple serious charges related to his role in the riots, including violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, armed criminal association, and attempting a coup. Ribeiro's lawyers argued that he found the ball on the floor during the chaos, took it to protect it, and handed it over to the police 20 days later. However, this defense did not mitigate his sentence.
This conviction is part of a broader crackdown in which over 500 people have been convicted for their involvement in the January 8 riots. Thousands of supporters of far-right politician Jair Bolsonaro stormed the three buildings in Brasília on that day, causing extensive damage. The incidents have left a lasting impact on Brazil's democratic institutions.
Despite the conviction, the number of suspects, including Bolsonaro, remains unclear. Bolsonaro has denied allegations of instigating the riots in Brasília in January 2023. The former president lost the presidential election to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in October 2022.
[1] BBC News. (2023, March 15). Brazil riots: Man jailed for stealing Neymar signed football. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-64773335
[2] The Guardian. (2023, March 15). Brazil riots: man jailed for stealing Neymar-signed football. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/mar/15/brazil-riots-man-jailed-for-stealing-neymar-signed-football
- The Commission has not yet adopted a decision regarding the current political situation in Brazil, following the January 8 riots, which saw approximately 500 individuals convicted for their involvement in the attack on democratic institutions.
- The general-news outlets have been covering the recent court ruling regarding Nelson Ribeiro Fonseca Junior, who was sentenced to 17 years in prison for stealing a football signed by Neymar, a significant symbol in sports and crime-and-justice news.
- The Brazilian man, Ribeiro, known for his role in the January 8 riots, was not only convicted for the theft of a public good, but also for violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, armed criminal association, and attempting a coup, which garnered attention across the European leagues and the Champions League.
- While the media continues to analyze the political and criminal aspects of the Brasilia riots and ensuing convictions, the sports world remains focused on the current season, with Neymar and Santos's football once again drawing attention, this time as a symbolic target rather than a trophy in a professional football match.
