The Rio de Janeiro court has absolved, in the first instance, the seven defendants involved in the fire at Ninho do Urubu, Flamengo’s training center. The incident occurred in February 2019 and resulted in the death of 10 players from the club’s youth team. There is a possibility of appeal. Judge Tiago Fernandes Barros of the 36th Criminal Court considered the case unfounded. The legal process has been ongoing since January 2021.
The defendants in the case were Márcio Garotti, the financial director of Flamengo from 2017 to 2020; Marcelo Maia de Sá, the deputy director of assets at Flamengo; Danilo Duarte, the responsible engineer at NHJ, a container company; Fábio Hilário da Silva, the responsible engineer at NHJ; Weslley Gimenes, the responsible engineer at NHJ; Claudia Pereira Rodrigues, responsible for signing contracts at NHJ; and Edson Colman, a partner at Colman Refrigeration, which performed maintenance on the air conditioning units.
The Rio de Janeiro State Public Ministry (MPRJ) had requested the conviction of all the accused in May. After interviewing more than 40 witnesses, the MPRJ indicated that the investigation ‘fully proves the criminal responsibility of the defendants who held positions with management responsibilities at the referred training center, … of the accused responsible for the containers intended for the accommodation of the adolescents, …, as well as the contractor responsible for the maintenance of the air conditioning units.’
The tragic incident, known as ‘the greatest tragedy in Flamengo’s history,’ could and should have been prevented. The MPRJ’s presentation rigorously demonstrates how the behaviors of the defendants contributed to the occurrence of the offense that claimed the lives of ten adolescents, completely dismissing the perception of the event as an unavoidable accident or a mere fate.
Former Flamengo president Eduardo Bandeira de Mello was removed from the list of defendants in February 2025. At that time, the Rio de Janeiro Court of Justice (TJRJ) accepted a request from the MPRJ. The decision was made because the case had been ongoing for four years, and the former president was over 70 years old, resulting in a reduced statute of limitations. Bandeira was the president of Flamengo from 2013 to 2018. Originally, there were 11 defendants in the case. The coach Marcus Vinicius was acquitted. The engineer Luiz Felipe and former Flamengo youth director Carlos Noval had their charges dismissed. The Public Ministry appealed, but the decision was upheld.
The fire at Ninho do Urubu resulted in 10 fatalities, all of them athletes from the club’s youth team aged between 14 and 16. Three others were injured and hospitalized. The blaze occurred in the container housing the dormitories during the early hours of the morning. Twenty-six boys were sleeping at the training center that night. The victims were Athila Paixão (14), Arthur Vinícius (14), Bernardo Pisetta (15), Christian Esmério (15), Gedson Santos (14), Jorge Eduardo (15), Pablo Henrique da Silva Matos (14), Rykelmo Viana (16), Samuel Thomas Rosa (15), and Vitor Isaías (15).
Flamengo has reached settlements with the families of the deceased players. The most recent agreement, in February, was with the family of Christian Esmério, who had taken legal action. Last year, the club was ordered to pay about R$3 million to the player’s parents and his brother. Each parent was entitled to R$1.412 million in compensation plus a monthly pension of R$7,000. Cristiano Júnior, the player’s brother, was awarded R$120,000.
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