Cafu may face Italian prison sentence

Written by Joe Kent , 13.06 09h39

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Public prosecutors in Italy have called for the detention of Brazilian winger Cafu who is alleged to have submitted false documents as part of his bid to gain Italian citizenship. The crime which is said to have been committed while the Brazilian captain was still at Roma and carries a custodial sentence of nine months. The prosecution has also demanded the same punishment for Regina Feliciano de Moraes, Cafu’s wife, and condemned the behaviour of Roma president Franco Sensei and Argentinean Gustavo Bartelt who played alongside Cafu before the Brazilian’s move to Milan.

Cafu’s problems began in 2001 when his name was included on a list of 50 players under investigation for the use of false passports in a bid to avoid quotas placed on teams limiting the number of foreign players permitted. His wife’s name also appeared on this list as it was due to her Italian ancestry that he was granted an Italian passport in 1994. In 2004 the pair were called before an open hearing, a process which has culminated in the current demands for their detention. The player’s agent has indicated that he has yet to be informed of the decision and is therefore unable to comment.

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