April 9 – In their legal dispute with Flamengo, the parents of the late Christian Esmerio are demanding 10 million reais (€1.5 million) in damages from the Rio Club. In 2019, a night-time blaze swept through the Flamengo training centre on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, killing ten youth players.
The parents of the goalkeeper and Flamengo have so far failed to settle on damages. Other parents of victims have settled for damages between 1.5 and 2 million reais (€226,000 and €302,000). The mother of Rykelmo Viana however took Flamengo to court demanding 6.9 million reais (€1 million). Esmerio had been called up for Brazil’s junior national team.
In January, public prosecutors charged 11 people, including former Flamengo president Eduardo Carvalho Bandeira de Mello, in connection with the fire. The prosecutors’ report said that Bandeira de Mello “decided not to make a monitor available for each group of 10 youths resident there and did not furnish the space set aside for them to the minimum standards.”
So far, no one has been convicted.
Elsewhere, the Rio club has indicated that it wants to follow in the footsteps of Athletico Paranaense and buy Covid-19 vaccines. Athletico said they want to make the vaccine available to players and officials as well as fans with paid membership, free of charge.
Earlier this week, Brazil’s congress passed a law allowing private firms to buy vaccines. The law still needs to be approved by the senate and sanctioned by Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro. The South American country recorded a new daily record of 4,249 deaths on Thursday.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.l1734959375labto1734959375ofdlr1734959375owedi1734959375sni@o1734959375fni1734959375