How Ronaldinho is surviving in Paraguayan prison, friend reveals

Fernando Lugo, a friend of football legend Ronaldinho, has revealed the state of the former Ballon d’or winner as he awaits his court case while in a Paraguayan prison.

Ronaldinho was detained on 5th of March after he and his brother were found with fake documents in their hotel, which claimed they had Paraguayan nationality.

Ronaldinho’s lawyer claims he was given the passports as a novelty present by local sponsors and mistakenly presented them instead of his Brazilian documents so he could enter the country.

His lawyers made a request to be detained under house arrest which was denied, with judge Clara Ruiz declaring Ronaldinho and brother Roberto de Assis Moreira ‘a flight risk’ and telling them to remain in prison.

Accordng to Ronaldinho’s friend, the 39 year old former Barcelona star footballer is sad but is still smiling and eating well as he remains locked up in prison. He said Ronaldinho is sharing a cell with his brother and he is mingling with other inmates and eating well.

‘He is a little sad but always smiling. I think he is angry,’ said Fernando Lugo to Paraguayan newspaper Extra.

‘He told me, “how are they going to do this to me in your country? I am never coming back to Paraguay.”’

‘He is not in need of anything, he is well-attended. He eats asado every day, he likes it. ‘It is not like he is shut in his room all day, he speaks with the guys sitting outside. ‘What is happening to him is unfair. Why would he do those things? He is not in need.’
Paraguay’s Interior Minister, Euclides Acevedo, has also claimed the prison where Ronaldinho is being held ‘is not a prison’ and suggested the building was ‘almost a hotel’ as he even played in a prison football match last Friday.