[Sportschosun Jang Jong-ho] Jo, 39, a former striker for the Brazil national football team, has been arrested again on suspicion of failing to pay child support. This is at least the fifth confirmed arrest.
According to Brazilian media outlets, including Terra Sports, Jo, whose full name is Joao Alves de Assis Silva and who played for Brazil at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, was arrested by police early on the 14th at a nightclub in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Police reportedly went to the scene and executed the arrest warrant after receiving information that Jo was at the location.
The arrest was based on a warrant issued by a court in São Paulo in January. Court records show that Jo allegedly owed 145,400 reais, or about 43 million won, in unpaid child support.
Jo appeared at a detention review hearing the day after his arrest. The judge in charge ruled that there were no problems with the arrest procedure and ordered that he remain in custody.
He has already been arrested several times for the same reason.
He was arrested in Campinas in May 2024, and again in Contagem in December of that year. In June 2025, he was arrested at Guarulhos International Airport in São Paulo, and in November of the same year, he was arrested at a beach bar in Rio de Janeiro on child support nonpayment charges.
In particular, his third arrest was reportedly related to a child support lawsuit filed by well-known influencer Maíra Cardi.
Maíra is said to be a woman Jo met through an affair while he was still married to Claudia Silva.
Maíra gave birth to Jo's eighth child, who is also his sixth child born out of wedlock.
The two reportedly broke up after Maíra became pregnant.
Meanwhile, Jo was one of the leading strikers in Brazilian football in the late 2000s.
He played for the Brazil national football team from 2007 to 2014, scoring five goals in 20 international appearances, and also took part in the 2014 FIFA World Cup on home soil.
He joined Manchester City Football Club in the English Premier League (EPL) in 2008 and later played for Everton. He continued his career with clubs in Brazil before announcing his retirement in August 2025.
Jang Jong-ho, bellho@sportschosun.com
