Former Atlético Mineiro and Brazil player Reinaldo has been granted amnesty and compensation for persecution during Brazil’s military dictatorship (1964-1985). The period was marked by repression of dissidents and opponents.
Former Atlético Mineiro and Brazil player Reinaldo has been granted amnesty and compensation for the persecution he faced during the military dictatorship that ruled Brazil from 1964 to 1985, according to a report from Inside World Football.
The regime repressed dissidents and political opponents, including the legendary footballer.
Reinaldo, who spent more than a decade with Atlético and represented Brazil in the 1978 World Cup, was known for his clenched fist goal celebration.
This gesture, linked to the Black Panthers movement, was viewed with distrust by the military authorities as an open protest against the regime.
For this persecution, Reinaldo will receive 100,000 Brazilian reais ($19,000) and official recognition by the Amnesty Council—an advisory body of the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship.
Reinaldo offered a powerful statement on the nature of the state’s actions: “Maybe you remember my trajectory in the fields, but you may not know the struggle, often silent, that I had to face.”
He detailed the regime’s tactics: “They created defamation campaigns, real operations to end the reputation and social life of people they considered enemies or threats.
They wanted to silence my voice, decrease my strength, and ended my life and my career.” He concluded that this form of state violence against honour and dignity “is as serious as the others and seeks to destroy people from within, taking their place in the world and in the future.”