Bruno gets another club, nine years after brutal murder

Welcome back to the Brazil Sports newsletter. This week, we begin on a somber note, as in the country where talent always gets another chance, Bruno Fernandes has signed for another club while serving time for the brutal murder of the mother of his child. Then, we look at Gabigol, the top-scorer in Brazil with the form-dependent nickname. Enjoy your read! 

Bruno gets another club, nine years after brutal murder

In 2013, former Flamengo goalkeeper Bruno Fernandes was sentenced to 22 years in prison for aggravated homicide, kidnapping and concealment of a body. Three years before, Bruno planned, ordered and participated in the brutal murder of his ex-lover, 25-year-old model Eliza Samúdio.

The case dominated the headlines in Brazil for the sheer monstrosity involved in the crime. Ms. Samúdio had been having an affair with Bruno since 2008, until she announced she was pregnant with the Flamengo player’s child. Bruno refused to accept paternity of the baby or pay any child support. The two quarreled, Bruno was taken to court. In June 2010, Ms. Samúdio disappeared.

One of Bruno’s teenage cousins confessed to taking part in the crime, saying Ms. Samudio was knocked out and taken to Bruno’s farmhouse in Minas Gerais. There, she was tied to a chair and strangled by retired policeman Marcos Aparecido dos Santos. Her corpse was fed to Bruno’s Rottweilers and her bones buried under concrete.

In Brazilian football, however, talent always gets a second chance, even in the face of such barbarism and cruelty. And now, six years after being imprisoned, Bruno is on his way back to playing football.

Earlier this year, Bruno was granted the right to be placed under house arrest, which allows him to work and study during the day, but imposes a strict 8 pm–6 am curfew. 

Poços de Caldas FC, a club from the third tier of the Minas Gerais state championship, promptly agreed terms to sign 34-year-old Bruno, who, in his heyday, was one of the best goalkeepers in Brazilian football.

Amazingly, this will not be Bruno’s first team since going to jail. In 2014, he signed a five-year contract with local side Montes Claros, but his request to leave prison during the day and play for the club was denied. The club went as far as registering Bruno for the state championship of that year. When submitting his details to the CBF’s player database, Montes Claros used a photo taken of Bruno during his trial.

Three years later, he managed a get a habeas corpus to leave jail and sign for second division side Boa Esporte. The club faced a huge social media backlash and...