Flamengo lawyer slams STJD in Bruno Henrique case: "Over the top"

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Coluna do Fla

·8 September 2025

Flamengo lawyer slams STJD in Bruno Henrique case: "Over the top"

What did Michel Assef Filho, Flamengo's lawyer, say about the Bruno Henrique case?

The Bruno Henrique case continues to be a topic in sports news. This Monday (08), Michel Assef Filho, the lawyer for Flamengo, defended the forward and dismissed any comparison with other players who have been banned from football. Additionally, the legal representative of the Rubro-Negro considered the punishment by the Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD) against Flamengo's number 27 to be excessive.

SEE THE STATEMENT FROM MICHEL ASSEF FILHO, FLAMENGO'S LAWYER

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“I've heard a lot of discussion about the penalty being lenient. What happened with Bruno Henrique has no relation to the cases judged by the STJD before. The harsher penalties punished game fraud, that is, some outside combination for something artificial to happen in the game. In other cases, exactly that happened. Athletes were approached and arranged certain plays to benefit themselves off the field. Bruno Henrique was already planning to take the 3rd yellow card, the yellow card is not unethical behavior, it is not unsportsmanlike conduct, it is part of the game strategy. What happened was privileged information. The article under which he was punished states: ‘Act in a manner contrary to sports ethics, with the aim of influencing the result of a match, event, or equivalent’. It is not behavior contrary to sports ethics because the 3rd card is allowed, and he did not intend to influence the match result. He wanted to take the card to be out against Fortaleza and play against Palmeiras. At most, it was privileged information, and there is no provision in the CBJD that punishes this. What exists is in the 2023 RGC, Article 65 states that it is illegal to share sensitive, privileged, or internal information. Even that I contest, because privileged information must be something unexpected, and any average football fan knew he would take the 3rd card in that game. This type of action is punished under Article 191, which is failing to comply with regulations, punished with a fine. What is happening is a wave claiming the penalty was lenient, because they are comparing it to previous facts, and it has nothing to do with it. The penalty was not lenient, on the contrary, it was exaggerated.”, said Michel Assef Filho in an interview with the program ‘Seleção SporTV’ this Monday (08).

WHAT HAPPENED WITH BRUNO HENRIQUE, FLAMENGO'S FORWARD?

Bruno Henrique was judged last Thursday (04) for alleged involvement in a sports betting scheme. On that occasion, the forward was accused of forcing the third yellow card in Flamengo's match against Santos, in the 2023 Brasileirão.

After long hours of debate, the auditors punished Bruno Henrique under article 243-A, in which the player will be out for the next 12 games of Flamengo in competitions organized by the CBF. Additionally, the number 27 will also have to pay a fine of R$ 60,000. Finally, the Rubro-Negro has already stated that it will seek a suspensive effect on this punishment.

IS BRUNO HENRIQUE OUT OF FLAMENGO'S NEXT GAME?

Due to the punishment, Bruno Henrique is out of Flamengo's next game of the season. The Rubro-Negro returns to the field on Sunday (14) to face Juventude, for the 23rd round of the Brasileirão. The match kicks off at 4 PM (Brasília time), at Alfredo Jaconi Stadium, in Caxias do Sul. Coluna do Fla TV, as usual, will show the match details on YouTube, as well as on the website and social media.

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