The Ministry of Women and the Ministry of Sports published a joint note this Saturday (21) in which they “vehemently repudiated” the tribute paid by Vasco-AC players to three athletes from the team arrested, accused of raping two women in the club’s accommodation.
In the first round match of the Copa do Brasil against Velo Clube, on Thursday (19), the players from the Acrian team posed displaying shirts with the names of the athletes being investigated.
Among the Vasco-AC players who participated in the tribute was goalkeeper Bruno, former Flamengo player, convicted of the triple murder of model Eliza Samudio.
“The ministries express solidarity with the victims and reaffirm confidence in the swift and transparent action of Justice, with respect for due legal process. It is unacceptable that sport, a space for training and inspiration for youth, is used to naturalize or relativize violence against women”, they noted in a statement.
“The government of Brazil reaffirms its non-negotiable commitment to the firm and coordinated confrontation of all forms of violence against girls and women, with public policies that promote safe, fair and violence-free environments”, they added.
Players Brian Peixoto, Alex Pires and Matheus Azeredo, from Vasco-AC, had their temporary detention maintained by the courts after a custody hearing on Tuesday (17).
Speaking to the g1 portal, lawyer Atevaldo Santana stated that the players deny the accusations and maintain that the relationship was consensual. According to him, they are all first-time offenders, of legal age and with no criminal record.
The complaint was registered at the Specialized Women’s Assistance Police Station (Deam). In a statement, Vasco do Acre informed that it adopted internal administrative measures to investigate the case and that it is available to the authorities.
In the match for the Copa do Brasil, Vasco-AC ended up eliminated on penalties, after a 1-1 draw in regular time.
Bruno defended two charges and converted his shot, but did not prevent the Acrian team from falling.
The goalkeeper was convicted of the crimes of murder, concealment of a corpse, kidnapping and false imprisonment of Eliza Samudio, with whom he had a son, Bruninho Samudio — now a goalkeeper for Botafogo’s youth teams.
In September 2020, Bruno was forced to wear an electronic ankle bracelet. Later, he obtained an injunction that authorized the removal of the equipment during training and games.
Arrested in 2013, three years after the crime, he progressed to the semi-open regime in 2019 and has been on parole since January 2023.
