Ex-Corinthians and Santos player arrested in São Paulo countryside | OneFootball

Former football player Reginaldo Rivelino Jandoso, known as Piá, was arrested on Monday night. Having played for Santos and Corinthians, he was detained in Sumaré, in the interior of São Paulo, with an outstanding arrest warrant for alleged betting fraud.

According to a report published on G1, police officers became suspicious of Piá's car, which he was driving alone, after he tried to change direction upon seeing the police vehicle. The Special Police Operations Battalion team signaled for him to pull over. The former player tried to flee and crashed into the gate of the Real Park Condominium. To the police, he stated that he fled because he was wanted by the authorities.

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Piá's defense released a statement informing that the case for which the former player still has an outstanding arrest warrant dates back to 2018. The sentence was two years, eight months, and 20 days in a closed regime:

“Since the initiation of the criminal proceedings, there has been no new criminal offense. Reginaldo is fully integrated into social life, works in football player management, works with underprivileged children in a local social project, is the father of a 6-year-old girl, and has comorbidities that require constant special treatment,” the statement said.

The Conviction

Piá worked in the football department of Independente de Limeira at the time. The complaint filed by the Public Prosecutor's Office states that the former athlete offered money to a goalkeeper from Independente to concede goals in a match against Comercial. The game was valid for the fourth division of the Campeonato Paulista and ended 0-0.

The former athlete denied the accusations, but in 2022, Judge Rafael da Cruz Golveia Linardi found him guilty of promising an advantage to another player with the aim of altering the result.

In 2025, Judge Rudi Hiroshi Shinen decided to annul the conviction after a pardon request from the defense. The former player was awaiting the judgment of his pardon appeal while free.

At the beginning of 2026, the Public Prosecutor's Office appealed the decision and the judge himself reversed his position and revoked the annulment. Since then, the arrest warrant has been in effect again.

In addition to this warrant, Piá has already been arrested four times for ATM theft. The former player served two sentences: one of one year and four months in an open regime and another of two years in prison, with one year and seven months in a closed regime and five months in a semi-open regime.

Piá's Career

Piá played for major clubs in Brazil. The 52-year-old from Paraná played for Corinthians, Santos, Bragantino, and many others in the country, but his most memorable stint was at Ponte Preta.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.