Atlético-MG was unanimously punished by the Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD). The trial was carried out this Wednesday (27), by the 5th Disciplinary Commission of the STJD, at the court’s headquarters, in Rio de Janeiro. The punishments were R$194,000, in addition to the loss of six field orders.
Galo was acquitted under article 211 of the Brazilian Code of Sports Justice (CBJD), but was punished under article 213 and 243-G.
The club was held responsible for the , on November 10th, at the Arena MRV, in Belo Horizonte, in the return game of the .
Article 211 deals with the infrastructure of . The Court understood that there are no reasons to keep the Arena closed, since there are documents and reports that allow matches to be held there in a safe manner.
The loss of six games was treated in a special way by the STJD. The Court asked that three matches be played behind closed doors. As two games (Botafogo and Juventude) have already been played, one more game would be played without the presence of fans.
In three other games there will be the possibility of fans being present. Women, the elderly, children and adolescents up to 16 years old, and people with disabilities will be able to watch the games.
The specification of the fine was as follows: R$ 174 thousand reais for the , glasses and attempted invasion of the field. There was also an increase of R$20,000 in value for homophobic screams during the match against Flamengo.
MRV Arena closure
The trial dealt only with disciplinary issues. This Thursday (28), the STJD Plenum will deliberate on whether or not to maintain the ban on the stadium. If the Pleno keeps the stadium closed, Atlético-MG will play the games in other stadiums.
The trial
Prosecutor Felipe Corrêa cited the high number of bombs (four) thrown onto the field. Furthermore, he spoke about the “harmful effect” to photographer Nuremberg Faria, . All events were recorded in a summary.
The defense was carried out by lawyer Gustavo Caputo. The professional asked for absolution in article 211 for claiming that there are no problems with the infrastructure of Arena MRV.
“The article deals with the attempted invasion. There are no structural problems, the club has all the technical reports to hold games. The club has increased security personnel and other measures,” said Caputo.
Regarding the throwing of bombs and objects onto the lawn, Caputo also tried to soften the STJD’s understanding. The lawyer reinforced the fact that the fan who threw the bomb onto the pitch was identified and arrested. He also asked for acquittal under article 213.
“The citizen who threw those bombs, which sadly ended up hitting a reporter, was arrested. He was identified thanks to the cameras and is arrested,” he said. “The reporter was visited by the president of Atlético-MG, Sérgio Coelho, and offered all possible assistance”, he added.
Rapporteur Ramon Rocha voted for acquittal under article 211 of the Brazilian Code of Sports Justice (CBJD). The presentation of documents that guarantee the holding of events at Arena MRV weighed in favor of Atlético-MG.
The situation was different in the assessment of article 213. For Ramon Rocha, rapporteur of the process, even with all of Atlético’s efforts, there is no way not to exclude the club’s responsibility.
“The defense took the necessary measures to identify the offenders, there is no way to specify the exact individuals. Therefore, the club needs to be held responsible for the facts that are serious”, stated the rapporteur.
The STJD auditors voted to appoint the process rapporteur.
