Brazil futsal player receives five-year ban as club expelled after violent on-court attack

A women’s futsal player in Brazil has been banned for five years and her club expelled from their competition after she repeatedly kicked a rival in the head and punched another opponent during a match in Fortaleza.

The Brazilian Futsal Federation’s disciplinary committee confirmed on Friday that the player from As Resenhas had been suspended for five years, while the club was removed from this season’s Fortaleza municipal championship. The organisation described it as the harshest sanction ever imposed in Brazilian women’s futsal.

The incident took place in the second half of the opening game of the Fortaleza municipal tournament, with Projeto R D G Sport Feminino leading 1-0 against As Resenhas.

After committing a foul, the As Resenhas player lost control and twice kicked an opponent in the head while she lay on the court. When another Projeto R D G Sport Feminino player tried to step in to stop the assault, the aggressor struck her in the face with a punch.

Images from the match, which were widely circulated on social media in Brazil, show what federation officials described as extreme violence on the court. The referee halted the game immediately after the attack.

Both assaulted players were taken to hospital for treatment. According to initial medical reports, neither suffered serious injuries despite the severity of the blows.

The disciplinary commission of the Brazilian Futsal Federation met swiftly following the incident and opted for one of the toughest punishments available under its regulations, ruling the player out of all futsal competitions under its jurisdiction for five years and excluding As Resenhas from the ongoing Fortaleza municipal competition.

The federation underlined that the decision was intended to send a clear message about unacceptable conduct in the sport, noting that such a lengthy suspension and the removal of an entire team from a tournament are unprecedented in the women’s game in Brazil.

Alongside the sporting sanctions, the case has triggered a criminal investigation. Police in the state of Ceara have opened an inquiry into the events, and the public prosecutor’s office is closely following the case.

Local authorities are examining whether the player should face criminal charges in relation to assault and bodily harm, with prosecutors indicating they intend to hold her accountable “as soon as possible” for her actions on the court.

The match in which the violence occurred was abandoned and will not resume, with competition organisers yet to clarify how the result will be recorded in the standings following the expulsion of As Resenhas.