The son of Brazil’s footballing legend, Pele, has handed himself in to complete his sentence for money laundering and drug trafficking.<\/p>\n
Edinho, a former professional goalkeeper, was first arrested in 2005 over the charges, but appealed.<\/p>\n
He remained free during the appeal but was sentenced in 2014 to 33 years.<\/p>\n
The court has reduced that sentence to 12 years and 10 months, but ruled that he must be imprisoned while he appeals. Edinho denies all the charges.<\/p>\n
As he arrived at a police station in the city of Santos, he said there was not a shred of evidence against him.<\/p>\n
“I’m frustrated because I’m being massacred by the legal system,” he said.<\/p>\n
“I never had any involvement with money laundering.”<\/p>\n
Four other people have also been sentenced in the same case, including a man accused of controlling much of the drug trafficking in the Greater Santos region – Ronaldo Duarte Barsotti, known as Naldinho.<\/p>\n
Edinho, whose real name is Edson Cholbi do Nascimento, admits that he once had a drug problem but says he has been clean for many years.<\/p>\n
He played as goalkeeper in the 1990s for Santos, where his father spent all his professional career in Brazil.<\/p>\n
He had been working as a manager of a small club in the state of Sao Paulo.<\/p>\n
Pele, or Edson Arantes do Nascimento, retired in 1974, but made a comeback a year later for New York Cosmos.<\/p>\n
Playing for Brazil, he won the World Cup in 1958, 1962 and 1970 and was acclaimed as the greatest footballer of his generation.<\/p>\n
Edinho was five when Pele was signed to play for Cosmos and the family moved to New York. He is now 46.<\/p>\n
When he returned to Brazil he decided to pursue a career in professional football – as a goalkeeper, much to his father’s surprise.<\/p>\n
He was Santos’s goalkeeper in 1995 when the team reached the Brazilian league final, losing the title to Botafogo.<\/p>\n
His detention and alleged involvement with drug gangs took most people in Brazil by surprise.<\/p>\n
Pele, who is now 76, went to visit his son several times in jail.<\/p>\n
“God willing, justice will be done. There is not a shred of evidence against my son,” he said in 2006.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"