Bruno Henrique Case Stays in Brasília After Appeal Withdrawal

The legal battle surrounding Flamengo forward Bruno Henrique has taken a new turn, and it doesn’t look like the striker will get his wish to move the proceedings away from Brasília. His defense team has formally withdrawn an appeal that questioned whether the Federal District State Court should even be handling the case. For now, the matter remains under the jurisdiction of the 7th Criminal Court of Brasília.

Good to know

• Bruno Henrique faces charges under Article 200 of the General Sports Law for alleged match manipulation.
• Possible penalties range from two to six years in prison, plus fines.
• His brother, Wander Nunes Pinto Júnior, has also been named a defendant.

The controversy goes back to last year’s Brazilian Championship match against Santos, where prosecutors say Bruno Henrique deliberately picked up a yellow card. In July, Justice Joel Ilan Paciornik had already rejected an earlier appeal, which aimed to nullify actions taken by the Brasília court. His lawyers tried to escalate the issue by insisting the state court lacked jurisdiction, but with the withdrawal of the latest filing, that argument has now ended.

Charges Move Forward

Judge Fernando Brandini Barbagalo has accepted the charges filed by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Federal District and Territories (MPDFT). According to the court, investigations suggest there may have been intent behind the caution received during the Santos match. The judge, however, dismissed the fraud charge originally sought by prosecutors, leaving Bruno Henrique to answer only to accusations of match-fixing, a narrower offense.

Unhappy with that outcome, the MPDFT has already appealed, arguing the fraud element should still be on the table. For the moment, though, the player will only face proceedings tied to result manipulation.

The case isn’t limited to the criminal courts. The Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD) has its own hearing scheduled for September 4 at its Rio de Janeiro headquarters. That means Bruno Henrique is preparing to defend himself on two fronts—one within the Brazilian legal system and the other in the country’s highest sports tribunal.

His defense continues to maintain that the accusations are without basis, but with appeals withdrawn and charges accepted, the pressure is firmly back on the Flamengo striker as the hearings approach.