Goalkeeper in murder probe keeps contract

Brazilian goalkeeper Bruno, who is under investigation over the death of a woman said to be the mother of his child, is to retain his contract at Flamengo, the club announced on Tuesday.

Bruno, who is also club skipper, is currently in custody but local newspaper Extra reported Flamengo had backtracked on an initial decision to rescind his contract, fearing the player would respond with legal action.

“Yes, we have decided to backtrack to avoid bigger problems,” Extra quoted club chairman Helio Ferraz as saying.

The 25-year-old is suspected of involvement in the disappearance in early June of Eliza Samudio, who is feared dead.

Samudio, 25, had been demanding a DNA test to prove that the married Bruno was the father of her four-month-old child.

A police search last month of the goalkeeper’s home near Belo Horizonte uncovered “strong evidence that Eliza had been there” before disappearing without trace on June 4 or 5, according to police chief Edson Moreira.

Her baby, who was allegedly hidden by the goalkeeper’s wife at a friend’s home, was eventually located at Contagem in the same region.

Samudio’s lawyer Anne Faraco has claimed that Bruno had offered her client a monthly allowance of 3,500 reais (1,900 dollars), but she had been demanding more — angering the footballer.

According to Faraco and a friend of Samudio, Bruno had threatened her during her pregnancy and demanded that she have an abortion.

Samudio had filed a complaint with police last October when she was five months pregnant.

Bruno, whose full name is Bruno Fernandes de Sousa, last month told Globo radio he had a “clear conscience.”

On Sunday, Globo television broadcast video footage of Bruno that appeared to have been recorded surreptitiously on a flight taking him from Rio to custory in Minas Gerais on July 8.

Bruno can reportedly be heard on the tape admitting he had a relationship with Samudio but denying any role in her disappearance.