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LONDON. — Ronaldinho is being held by police in Paraguay for allegedly using a false passport to enter the country.
The Barcelona and Brazil football legend, who was crowned FIFA World Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005, has been questioned along with his brother, Roberto Assis, at the Resort Yacht & Golf Club Paraguayo on Wednesday.
Passports were found by officials in the hotel bearing the names of Ronaldinho and his brother but with Paraguayan nationality.
“They are not being detained, they are still under judicial investigation and they have to testify,” Paraguay’s interior minister Euclides Acevedo told ESPN Brasil. “Then it will be decided whether they will be detained or not.”
Acevedo also confirmed that Ronaldinho and his brother insist they are innocent and claim that they were deceived by Wilmondes Sousa Lira, a 45-year-old businessman from Brazil. Ronaldinho travelled to Paraguay on Wednesday to promote a charity and his new book. The 39-year-old, who retired from football in 2018, won the World Cup with Brazil in 2002. He also played an instrumental role in helping Barcelona win two La Liga titles, as well as the Champions League in 2006. — AFP.
Peter Tanyanyiwa
Online Reporter