Jô is a striker who used to occupy the headlines during the golden era of his career, which led him to play for Manchester City and the Brazilian national team. At 37 years old, he represents Amazonas in the second division, although on this occasion, he was in the news not for his goals, but for having been arrested on charges of not paying child support for his children.
What’s curious is also how the arrest was made: police officers waited for the arrival of the Amazonas team bus as they were traveling to their match against Ponte Preta, in Campinas, in the state of São Paulo. Local media reported that the striker left the hotel with the rest of his teammates, but halfway through, he got into another vehicle that took him directly to the police station.
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At the police station, he was informed that the arrest warrant was related to the non-payment of child support for his children. Jô, who won the Copa Libertadores with Atlético Mineiro in 2013 alongside Ronaldinho and was part of the Brazil squad that played at the World Cup the following year, has eight children.
His lawyer stated that the debt was small and had already been paid, without wanting to give more details about the case due to it involving minors. Amazonas also issued a statement signed by its president, Weslley Couto: “The necessary assistance is being provided to the athlete. We are waiting for information from our legal department to be able to clarify this matter.”
Jô, who was trained at Corinthians and also played for Galatasaray (Turkey), Everton (England), and CSKA (Moscow), among several other clubs, was announced as a starter in the match against Ponte Petra for the Serie B. Due to these legal issues, he could not participate, and his team lost 3-0.
Remembering Zagallo
Sambafoot Series launched a new documentary about the football legend Zagallo. Known as ‘Velho Lobo‘ and as superstitious as it gets, Zagallo helped shape what Brazilian football is nowadays — as a player and as a coach.
Binge the first four episodes available on Sambafoot’s Youtube channel. Stay tuned for upcoming releases as we keep telling this legend’s life story.
