The family of Cristiano Junior, Dempo Sports Club's Brazilian footballer who died while playing in December, is seeking compensation from the club for ignoring his old injuries.
Junior's family claims that Dempo officials ignored an earlier injury sustained by the ace footballer and made him play the final of the Federation Cup against Mohun Bagan.
During the final, Junior was involved in a collision with Bagan goalkeeper Subrata Paul and collapsed in a heap. He died in a Bangalore hospital later.
The autopsy report stated the cause of death as cardiac failure, but now it emerges that Brazilian authorities carried out another post-mortem and its report contradicts that claim.
Kolkata's Bengali newspapers, quoting Junior's brother from Brasilia, said the Brazilian autopsy report found that the deceased footballer had sustained a head injury prior to the final -- a finding that wasn't mentioned in the Indian autopsy report.
The injury resulted in a blood clot, but Dempo officials ignored it and asked Junior to play in the final. Junior was hurt in the head again in the collision with the goalkeeper.
Junior's brother, who expressed surprise that no Indian football official contacted the family in recent times, said they were speaking to lawyers to prepare a case for compensation claim.
Indian football authorities had said they would provide financial assistance to Junior's family, but so far nothing has been done.
"We don't want the money. Let it be given to Junior's wife, Juliana. She needs it," the footballer's elder brother was quoted as saying.
© 2024 Rediff.com -