One of the biggest problems that I always had with the otherwise delightful football comedy The Replacements was how a convicted felon like Earl Wilkinson or “Ray Smith” was allowed by the governor of Maryland to leave prison to play football. “Is this something that actually happens?” I always ask myself while watching the movie at 3 AM on TNT, but I’ve never actually bothered asking someone or reading about it, because I like having something to talk about with myself. Now, though, I at least know that The Replacements could have been based in Brazil, because there they let a guy who had his girlfriend murdered, chopped into pieces and fed to his dogs out of prison to play soccer, all in the name of “resocialization.”
Last week, it was revealed that convicted a-hole and former Flamengo goalkeeper and captain Bruno Fernandes de Souza was allowed to sign a five-year deal with Montes Claros of the Campeonato Mineiro, according to Fox Soccer. The deal is part of the Brazilian government’s program that allows prisoners to work and give back to society, as a means of easing them back into public life once their prison terms are over. Because Bruno has been on his best behavior since going to prison in 2010, he’s allowed to resume his soccer career.
Of his crimes and conviction, Bruno once said that he had a “clear conscience” and would be able laugh about it all in the future, but just so we know what he’ll be laughing about, let’s recap:
The married player and Samudio met at a 2009 party. She became pregnant during that first encounter.
When she told her new lover, he insisted that she get an abortion. She refused. He was apparently enraged. When she disappeared in June, Samudio was in the midst of a court case trying to obtain acknowledgement and child support from Bruno.
Police say Bruno hired Marcos Aparecido dos Santos, a former police officer, to lure Samudio from her home to Rio de Janeiro to the city of Belo Horizonte.
Once there, she was imprisoned in a shed behind dos Santos’ house and beaten. Bruno was allegedly on hand when she was finally strangled. Then police say she was fed to a Rottweiler. Her body has not been found. (Via the Toronto Star)
So congrats, Montes Claros fans. You’ve got a hell of a quality player coming your way.
