Judge orders seizure of Ronaldinho’s passport

Rio De Janeiro, Nov 3: A Brazilian court has ordered authorities to seize the passports of former Barcelona star Ronaldinho and his brother Roberto Assis.

The decision by judge Newton Fabricio on Friday came at the request of public prosecutors after the pair failed to pay a fine resulting from a 2015 court case.

Ronaldinho and Assis were fined 8.5 million reais (2.3 million US dollars) after being found guilty of building a fishing platform on the Guaiba river in southern Brazil without the necessary permits. The structure was located in a heritage-protected area, reports Xinhua news agency.

Ronaldinho's representatives were not immediately available for comment and it was not known if the brothers were in Brazil on Friday.

A two-time recipient of the FIFA world player of the year award and a World Cup winner with Brazil in 2002, Ronaldinho retired from football last year.