Neto and Band are ordered to pay compensation to Sampaoli

Former player and presenter José Ferreira Neto, better known as Neto, from Band, was sentenced in the first instance to pay compensation for moral damages in the amount of R$500,000 to coach Jorge Sampaoli, ex-Flamengo. The information was confirmed to Estadão by the Argentine coach’s defense, who was accused of racism during the airing of the program “Baita Amigos”, on April 17th this year, and “Os Donos da Bola”, on the 18th of the same month. The case is pending in the 1st Court of Justice of São Paulo and is subject to appeal.

Sampaoli had filed a civil lawsuit in June, demanding a public retraction from Neto for the speeches he made on the programs. When that didn’t happen, he also decided to file a criminal complaint. Grupo Bandeirantes also entered as a defendant in the action. Neither party responded to the actions in court, according to the Argentine coach’s defense. The report contacted Band, but had not yet received a response until the article was published.

The value of R$500,000 is, according to the defense, “symbolic”, and was calculated based on the earnings that the broadcaster has from advertisements throughout its schedule. The offenses against Sampaoli lasted, according to the prosecution lawyer, around ten minutes, including the times of the two programs.

In the criminal sphere, which takes place in the first 1st Criminal Court of São Paulo, judge Aparecida Angélica Correia defined a deadline of 15 days for the defense to gather expressions and statements considered offensive, by the presenter, for analysis by the Court. In this context, only the presenter is sued for slander and defamation.

NETO X SAMPAOLI: REMEMBER THE CASE

On April 17, Neto commented on the coach’s time at Santos in 2019. According to the presenter, Sampaoli was racist towards a club employee. “A guy who treats Arzul badly, who is black… And who is just like me, who is just like you and who is an incredible human being… This guy, Jorge Sampaoli, made Arzul stay out of the locker room. He made a lot of people hired before him lose their jobs. This guy is disgusting,” said Neto.

At another point, Neto even said that it would be a shame for Flamengo to choose Sampaoli to replace Vítor Pereira in technical command. “You don’t give morals to people who are from your own country, then you give morals to a guy like this, who often treated people in such a racist way, in such a hypocritical way…”, said Neto, during the program “Baita Amigos”.

“That short guy right there. That idiot right there. That’s a shame, he’s a small dick, he doesn’t know anything about football. It’s a shame that Flamengo would hire a guy like that,” he said on the Band program.

The art. 144 of the Penal Code, used to summon Neto, states that “if, from references, allusions or phrases, slander, defamation or insult is inferred, whoever considers himself offended may ask for explanations in court.” It is on this article that the Flamengo coach’s defense is based. “This procedure serves to bring to the attention of the Judiciary that there was a possible offense against honor”, explains Raphael Feitosa Fisori, to Estadão.

Sampaoli arrived at Flamengo in April this year, after the dismissal of Vítor Pereira. Before the red-black team, he played for Santos, in 2019 – work cited by Neto -, and Atlético-MG, between 2020 and 2021, the only teams he coached in Brazil.